The Origin Of Virginia's Hearty Sailor Sandwich

The pastrami on rye sandwich is a famous fixture at any Jewish deli. That combination of cured beef brisket with that dense, sour bread with caraway seeds in the crust makes for a hearty, heavy lunch — especially because a good deli will load up as much pastrami as that rye bread can structurally sustain. There are different variations of the recipe out there, and if you're from — or visiting — Richmond, Virginia, or its surrounding towns, you might stumble upon an old variant known as the sailor sandwich.

Richmond's sailor sandwich is a hot, melted sandwich made of pastrami, Swiss cheese, knackwurst (a German sausage similar to bratwurst or a hot dog, except it's flavored with garlic), topped with mustard, and served on rye bread. If this sounds somewhat reminiscent of New York City deli fare like the pastrami sandwiches at Katz Deli, then you're thinking along the right track. The sailor sandwich was first invented at a Jewish-style deli called the New York Deli. Despite its misleading name, the deli is located in Richmond, Virginia. The recipe has been around since at least World War II, a fittingly long history for New York Deli, which describes itself as "Richmond's oldest restaurant." And in case you're wondering, the story of the sandwich does actually involve sailors.

According to local Richmond legends, the sailor sandwich was first cooked up by New York Deli in 1943, when American sailors and officers in the U.S. Navy were fully involved in the war effort. Many of them stopped by the deli for lunch, and the pastrami-knackwurst combo became a hearty favorite associated with the sailors long after the World War II ended. The sandwich itself may be a spin on the classic corned beef or pastrami on rye, but the version made in Richmond has its own small twist of the knackwurst addition.

The sandwich's signature knackwurst is a slightly less common kind of sausage in the United States. Sometimes it goes by "knockwurst" instead, even though "knackwurst" is closer to the original German — knacken is German for "snap" or "crack," the satisfying noise the sausage makes while it's grilling (and when you bite into it). In either case, it's a beef or pork sausage which is juicier than your average frank, and it's typically made with garlic for flavor. Its chewy, "snappy" nature gives it a unique texture, and layering sandwiches with different textures is a time-honored strategy to keep your sandwich ingredients from slipping out. Perfect for the sailors of old who were in a hurry, and convenient for modern eaters, too, whether you sail or not.