Stromboli (food) facts for kids
Homemade stromboli
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| Type | Turnover |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Created by | Nazzareno Romano |
| Main ingredients | Bread dough, cheese (typically mozzarella), meat or vegetables |
A stromboli is a yummy baked dish that looks a bit like a rolled-up sandwich. It's made from dough, often the same kind used for pizza or Italian bread. Inside, it's packed with delicious fillings like different cheeses (usually mozzarella) and meats, such as salami. You can also find strombolis filled with vegetables. They are always served hot!
Strombolis were first created in the United States by Italian Americans. This happened in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The name "Stromboli" comes from a volcanic island near Sicily, Italy.
You might think a stromboli is the same as a calzone, but there's a small difference. Calzones are usually folded into a half-moon shape. Strombolis, on the other hand, are typically rolled up like a jelly roll or folded into a cylinder. Sometimes, a stromboli might even have a thin layer of tomato sauce inside, which is rare for a calzone.
Contents
How to Make a Stromboli
Making a stromboli is a lot like making a pizza, but with a twist!
Stromboli Dough and Fillings
Many pizza shops in America make strombolis by taking pizza dough and folding it in half. They fill it with tasty ingredients, making it look a bit like a half-moon calzone.
Other places start with a square piece of pizza dough. They spread out any toppings you might want on a pizza, like meats, cheeses, or veggies. Then, they carefully roll the dough into a cylinder shape, just like a jelly roll. After it's rolled, it gets baked until it's golden brown and bubbly.
Different Ways to Cook Stromboli
There are a few fun ways to change up a stromboli. Some recipes add pizza sauce inside before rolling it up. Others even deep-fry the stromboli, similar to how a panzerotto is made. This gives it a crispy outside!
The Story Behind the Name
The name "stromboli" for this food has an interesting history, with a couple of different stories about how it started in the United States.
The Romano's Restaurant Story
One story comes from Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria. They say they first used the name in 1950. This restaurant was in Essington, Pennsylvania, which is close to Philadelphia. The owner, Nazzareno Romano, was an Italian immigrant. He was trying out new ideas for "stuffed pizza," which in Italian is called pizza imbottita. He put ham, a type of sausage called cotechino, cheese, and peppers inside a pocket of bread dough.
His future brother-in-law had a great idea for a name! He suggested calling it "Stromboli" after a movie that had just come out. The movie was called Stromboli, and it was very popular at the time.
The Mike's Burger Royal Story
Another claim comes from Mike Aquino of Mike's Burger Royal in Spokane, Washington. He also says he named a turnover after the same movie in 1954. However, Mike Aquino's "stromboli" was quite different from the one made in Philadelphia. His version had capicola ham and provolone cheese with an Italian chili sauce on a French bread roll. So, while it shared the name, it wasn't the same kind of rolled-up dish we usually think of as a stromboli today.
There are also different versions of stromboli found in Indiana.
See also
- List of stuffed dishes
- List of regional dishes of the United States
- History of Italian Americans in Philadelphia
- Sausage bread
- Pepperoni roll
- Hot Pockets
