Philly is a food town, and true to its gritty culture, many of the city’s most notable foods originated with street vendors, not in fancy dining rooms.
To honor Philly’s street food traditions, Taste of Your Town is presenting the Philly Street Food Festival this weekend. Before you head down to the sports complex, Billy Penn thought it was important to share the history of some of Philly’s all-time favorite street foods.
Cheesesteaks
The creation of the cheesesteak is widely credited to the Olivieri brothers, Harry and Pat. In 1930, the brothers were running their hot dog stand in South Philly when they decided to make something different for lunch. They sliced some beef and onions, then set them on the grill before tucking the contents into a roll. A passing cab driver saw the hot dog stand owners eating the sandwich and insisted on trying it. He suggested they stop eating and start selling the sandwich.
They did, near the Italian Market, then opened a storefront location, Pat’s King of Steaks, on Passyunk Avenue in 1940. The sandwich did not originally include cheese because of the significant Jewish population in the neighborhood that kept kosher. After Kraft Cheese Whiz went on the market in 1952, Pat Olivieri realized he could heat up the entire can on the grill and put cheese on some of the sandwiches without contaminating the grill with dairy. Thus, the cheesesteak was born. Longtime competitor of Pat’s, Geno’s Steaks, is among the vendors listed for the festival this weekend.
Soft Pretzels
The soft pretzel originated in Europe and has a long history there, but Philadelphia became the home of the salty snack in the New World, possibly because of the Pennsylvania Dutch who immigrated to this region. Earliest records on the matter show that a street vendor, Daniel Christopher Kleiss, sold soft pretzels in Philadelphia in the 1820s.
The first commercial pretzel bakery was founded in 1861 by the Sturgis Family in Lititz in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is still in operation.
The once strictly hand-twisted pretzel was affected by automation in 1933 at the Reading Pretzel Machinery Company, where the figure-eight shape was “invented.” Why? It fit better on the conveyor belt.
The snack had national recognition in the 1960s, but its production remained predominantly in Pennsylvania. The soft pretzel continued to be commonly sold by hot dog vendors, which introduced the addition of mustard to the top of the street food.
Water Ice
Ancient Sicilians used to collect snow from Mount Etna and flavor it with fruit to create a frozen treat known in Italian as “granita.”
When Italian immigrants arrived in America, they brought an abundance of recipes, including those for granita. One of these immigrants, Felippe Italiano, pushed a cart through South Philly to sell his version of the refreshing Sicilian treat. His granita became so popular and well-known that customers would wait for him outside his garage.
In 1932, he converted his garage into a storefront that still stands today as Pop’s Italian Ice on Oregon Avenue. Another famous water ice stand was opened in 1945 by John Cardullo after the icy treat became a staple dessert at his diner. John’s Water Ice still operates out of its original location on Christian Street.
Event Details
The Philly Street Food Festival will be held at Xfinity Live! on Saturday, November 9. A VIP ticket will get you admission from 12 to 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $7.99, get you in starting at 2 p.m., and include admission and one drink. The event goes until 8 p.m.
More than 30 vendors will occupy the South Philly event space for the third year, with all food priced at $5 or less. According to the festival’s marketing manager, Rob Brazas, these vendors will include Philly establishments like family-run businesses and local food trucks, “creating an authentic taste of Philadelphia’s culinary diversity.”
Brazas added that local musicians and artists will provide live entertainment, “bringing Philly’s creative, vibrant energy to life and highlighting the strong community spirit that makes our city so special.”
Billy Penn will be sampling and reporting back in the next few days!
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
