View source for Beef on weck

{{short description|Roast beef sandwich on a kummelweck roll}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Beef on weck
| image            = small - Beef on Weck.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = A beef on weck
| country          = [[United States]]
| region           = [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| creator          = 
| course           = Main
| main_ingredient  = [[Kaiser roll#Variations|Kummelweck roll]], sliced [[roast beef]], [[Horseradish#Horseradish sauce|horseradish]], [[au jus|au&nbsp;jus]]
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
| no_recipes       = true
| no_commons 	   = true
}}

A '''beef on weck''' is a sandwich found primarily in [[Western New York]] State, particularly in the city of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Beef on Weck: A Locally Famous Sandwich, Upgraded|website=BuffaloChow.com|url=http://www.buffalochow.com/2008/01/beef_on_weck_a_locally_famous.html|access-date=10 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831084501/http://www.buffalochow.com/2008/01/beef_on_weck_a_locally_famous.html|archive-date=2009-08-31|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref name="History">{{cite web |title=History of Beef on Weck |publisher=The Kitchen Project.com |url=http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/BeefOnWeck/index.htm |access-date=10 October 2009}}</ref><ref name="Voices">{{cite web |last=Ekfelt |first=Lynn Case |title=Buffalo's Other Claim to Fame |work=Voices Volume 29 |publisher=The New York Folklore Society |date=Spring–Summer 2003 |url=http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic29-1-2/buffalo.html |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129123350/http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic29-1-2/buffalo.html |archive-date=29 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is made with [[roast beef]] on a [[Kaiser roll#Variations|kummelweck roll]], a roll that is topped with [[kosher salt]] and [[caraway]] seeds. The meat on the sandwich is traditionally served [[doneness|rare]], thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip in [[au jus|''jus'']] and spread with [[Horseradish#Horseradish sauce|horseradish]].

The sandwich, along with [[Buffalo wing|Buffalo wings]] and [[sponge candy]], is one of the three best-known food specialties of Buffalo.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Jessica |date=2019-08-01 |title=Beef on Weck Is Buffalo's Best Contribution to the Culinary World |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/8/1/20683708/buffalo-beef-on-weck-new-york-schwabls-specialty |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Eater |language=en}}</ref> 

==Origin==
The origin and history of the beef on weck sandwich is not well established but is thought to predate the 1960s development of Buffalo wings by approximately a century.<ref name="Voices"/><ref name=":1" /> It is believed that a German baker named William Wahr, who is thought to have immigrated from the [[Black Forest]] region of Germany, created the kummelweck roll while living in [[Buffalo, New York]].<ref name="Voices"/> Wahr may have based the kummelweck roll on a special loaf left as a ceremonial offering for the dead known in [[Swabia]] as ''Schwäbische Seele'', which is a thin roll resembling a baguette that is topped with salt and caraway seeds.<ref name=ZombieWeck>{{cite web |url=http://buffalo.com/2009/10/30/uncategorized/zombies-beer-and-buffalos-favorite-sandwich/ |title=Zombies, beer, and Buffalo's favorite sandwich |newspaper=The Buffalo News |date=October 30, 2009 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412130729/http://buffalo.com/2009/10/30/uncategorized/zombies-beer-and-buffalos-favorite-sandwich/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The sandwich's creation is estimated to have taken place some time in the mid-19th century, according to a butcher in Western New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/11/20/for-charlie-the-butcher-plenty-of-reasons-to-give-thanks/|title=For Charlie the Butcher, plenty of reasons to give thanks|first=Elizabeth|last=Carey|newspaper=The Buffalo News|date=November 20, 2017|access-date=November 20, 2017}}</ref>

A local [[pub]] owner is said to have used the roll to create the beef on weck, with the thought that the salty top of the roll would encourage his patrons to purchase more drinks.<ref name="Star">{{cite web |last=Oleniacz |first=Laura |title=What the heck is beef on weck? |website=Star News Online |location=Wilmington, NC |date=August 2, 2006 |url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS/60802004/1051 |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-date=27 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927111232/http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS/60802004/1051 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Stradley |first=Linda |title=Beef On Weck Sandwich - History of Beef On Weck |website=Whats Cooking America.net |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/BeefOnWeck.htm |access-date=10 October 2009}}</ref>

==Bread==
The kummelweck roll (sometimes spelled "kümmelweck"), topped with [[kosher salt]] and [[caraway]] seeds, gives the sandwich its name and a distinctive taste.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Byrne |first=Kerry |date=2022-10-10 |title=Buffalo wings have a big rival: Beef on weck is city's most delicious regional specialty |url=https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/buffalo-wings-rival-beef-weck-city-delicious-regional-specialty |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Kümmel'' is the German word for caraway,<ref name=":1" /> and ''Weck'' means "roll" in the south-western German dialects of [[Palatinate (region)|Palatinate]], the [[Saarland]], [[Baden]] and [[Swabia]] areas (northern Germans generally say ''Brötchen''). However, the roll used for this American sandwich tends to be softer and fluffier than a standard German Kümmelbrötchen or Kümmelweck.<ref name="History"/> In [[Austria]], a similar type of small white-bread is known as ''Kümmelweckerl'' (diminutive from ''Wecken'', which refers to a whole big bread, i.e., ''Brotwecken'').

Buffalo-area bakeries are the only commercial source for the roll.<ref name=":1" />

==Preparation==
A typical beef on weck is made from slow-roasted rare [[roast beef]] that is hand-carved in thin slices, served on a kummelweck roll. The cut face of the top half of the roll may be dipped in the [[au jus|jus]] from the roast. [[Horseradish#Culinary uses|Prepared horseradish]] is usually provided for the diner to spread to taste on the top half of the roll.<ref name=CNN>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19/travel/best-regional-sandwiches/index.html |title=A field guide to 20 great American sandwiches |website=CNN.com |date=October 19, 2012 |author=Murdock, Andy |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref> Preparation is often done in view at a carving station.<ref name=":1" />

==Popularity==
The beef on weck has long been popular regionally, and has gained a following in other areas of the United States where it has been introduced.<ref name="Star"/> Expatriates from Western New York have taken the dish and brought it to other areas after relocating.<ref name="Star"/> For example, PJ's BAR-B-QSA in [[Saratoga Springs, New York|Saratoga Springs]] in Eastern New York is noted for its beef on weck.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Levine|first1=David|title=Saratoga Days|url=http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/August-2006/Saratoga-Days/|website=Hudson Valley Magazine|date=4 August 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref> It has also been featured by chefs on cooking shows including the [[PBS]] special ''[[Sandwiches That You Will Like]]''. [[Bobby Flay]], [[Anthony Bourdain]] and other chefs have featured the beef on weck, or a variant, on their television programs.<ref>{{cite web  |url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/roast-beef-on-weck-recipe/index.html |last=Flay |first=Bobby |title=Beef on Weck recipe |work=Food Nation with Bobby Flay |publisher=Food Network.com |access-date=October 10, 2009}}</ref>

The American restaurant chain [[Buffalo Wild Wings]] was started by former residents of the Western New York area and the original name of the restaurant was "Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck", abbreviated as "BW3", the third W referring to weck. Some still refer to the company with the extra "W" in its abbreviation, despite the fact it was removed in 1998.<ref name=BW3>{{cite web |url=https://www.buffalowildwings.com/Global/Company%20History%208%2029%2012%20Final.pdf |title=Company History |website=Buffalo Wild Wings |date=2012 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701182341/http://www.buffalowildwings.com/Global/Company%20History%208%2029%2012%20Final.pdf |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The chain used to serve an updated version of the beef on weck called the Thirty-Fifth Weck Sandwich.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.buffalowildwings.com/en/food/specials/thirty-fifth-weck-sandwich/ |title=Thirty-Fifth Weck Sandwich {{!}} Buffalo Wild Wings® Menu |website=www.buffalowildwings.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018012758/https://www.buffalowildwings.com/en/food/specials/thirty-fifth-weck-sandwich/ |archive-date=October 18, 2017|language=en }}</ref>

''[[The Daily Meal]]'' reviewed the beef on weck as a "[[roast beef sandwich]] that dreams are made of" in their article "12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of".<ref name="12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of">{{cite web|author=Myers, Dan|url=http://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/12-life-changing-sandwiches-youve-never-heard|title=12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of|website=[[The Daily Meal]]|date=February 27, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[French dip sandwich]]
* [[Italian beef]]
* [[List of American sandwiches]]
* [[List of sandwiches]]
* [[List of regional dishes of the United States]]
* [[Pastrami on rye]]
* [[Pit beef]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Beef}}
{{Sandwiches}}
{{Culture of Buffalo, New York|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:American sandwiches]]
[[Category:Cuisine of New York (state)]]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states]]
[[Category:Culture of Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:German-American cuisine]]
[[Category:German-American culture in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Beef sandwiches]]
[[Category:American meat dishes]]