What's In A Chopped Cheese, New York's Classic Bodega Sandwich?

The chopped cheese sandwich seems to have gained lots of attention since the 2010s, but if you grew up in certain parts of New York City, then the chopped cheese is bodega fare which has been around for ages. If you're not from New York, bodega is the New York term for a convenience store, which almost always has a small deli counter where you can order sandwiches and burgers which are quietly some of the best food you can get in the city (depending on the bodega). Around East Harlem and the Bronx, the chopped cheese was one of those sandwiches. And suddenly, it's everywhere.

A chopped cheese is made with finely chopped ground beef, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and mayo or ketchup, served on a round roll or hero. With different names in particular regions, the slender hero roll may be better known to you as a sub, hoagie, grinder, or po' boy. While the chopped cheese is occasionally compared to its neighbor over in Pennsylvania — the Philly cheesesteak — the chopped cheese is very much its own sandwich with a history that's closely connected to the neighborhood where it's most popular.

Like plenty of great dishes, including New York City's famous Reuben sandwich you'll find at Katz's Deli in Lower Manhattan, the history of the chopped cheese is slightly blurry — although it's certainly got its roots in New York. Most New Yorkers who enjoy the sandwich would agree that it first came out of East Harlem or Spanish Harlem, sometime around the 1990s. Specifically, a bodega officially called Blue Sky Deli — but better known by its old name Hajji's — gets the credit for first inventing the chopped cheese before it spread to other bodegas around the Big Apple. The store's Yemeni owners suggest that the chopped cheese is based on a sandwich called a dagha yamneeya; similar to shawarma which features thinly sliced meat served in a pita (no cheese).

To get close to replicating an authentic chopped cheese, you can crumble up a hamburger patty or cook ground beef in a pan or cast iron skillet. Season it with a little salt and pepper or Adobo, add the American cheese to the beef and allow it to melt, and then you can spoon the mixture onto the bread once it's ready. A long hero roll will typically be cut open on only one side in this case, to keep all those delicious fillings tucked inside.