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Today:
The Turkey Manhattan Mystery
I heard something on the recently broadcast "A Way With Words" program on WFYI-FM (90.1). A former Hoosier living in Wisconsin was fondly remembering eating beef or turkey manhattan in his school lunchroom cafeteria, and he asked wordsmiths Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett why the word "manhattan" was part of the name. Neither of the radio show hosts had ever heard of the names for the slice of bread topped with turkey (or beef) and gravy embedded in mashed potatoes.
So, is it true this is a regional dish? Whenever I travel outside the state, beef manhattan is not the sort of thing I seek out at restaurants, so it never occurred to me that no one outside Indiana has ever heard of it. Are any newcomers to the area familiar with turkey or beef manhattans? And why, exactly, does "manhattan" appear in the name?
Interesting question. I have never seen a turkey/beef manhattan outside of Indy...
source:http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/newyorkcity/entry/turkeymanhattanroastbeefmanhattan/
Entry from February 08, 2008 Turkey Manhattan & Roast Beef Manhattan "Turkey Manhattan" and "Roast Beef Manhattan" appear to be primarily Indiana dishes, dating from the 1950s. They are open-faced sandwiches, similar to Kentucky's "Hot Brown." Sliced roast beef or sliced turkey are placed on a slice of bread, covered with mashed potatoes and gravy.
The origin of the name "Manhattan" for this dish is unknown. Perhaps it is because the sandwiches were piled high, or perhaps (since the "Roast Beef Manhattan" appears to be the earlier one of the two) the term is related to the New York cut of meat.
Wikipedia: Beef Manhattan
Beef Manhattan is a dish consisting of roast beef and gravy. It is often served with mash potatoes either on top or on the side. A variation on this dish is turkey manhattan, which substitutes turkey for the roast beef.
Beef Manhattans are proof God exists.
Allison: Thanks for the research.
Randy: Think I'll make it a point to eat Beef Manhattan this week. I haven't given that up for Lent.
My brother once sent me a text saying "I'm eating a beef Manhattan in Manhattan." So apparently they have them in New York?
From "Roadfood Sandwiches: Recipes and Lore from Our Favorite Shops Coast to Coast" by Jane and Michael Stern:
"Tell us what you call a sandwich of warm roast beef with gravy, and we will tell you where you're from. If you call it Italian beef, you are from Chicago. If it's beef on weck, you are a Buffalonian. If you ask for it with debris (succulent scraps from the roasting pan or cutting board), you are from New Orleans. Call it wet beef or beef Manhattan, and we'd bet you live in Kansas or the western plains. Hot beef is strictly an Upper Midwest term. French dip used to be southern Californian but is now more generally western."
thanks Jolene!
I have never known anyone to serve Beef or Turkey Manhattans outside the Indianapolis Public School system. I think we've been conditioned by IPS to even make these dishes at home...
Gabriels, in the Chamber of Commerce Blg., has the best Beef Manhattan