Taylor Ham
Encyclopedia
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Philadelphia. Some people call it Taylor Ham. The product, as it is made today, was developed in 1856 by John Taylor
John Taylor (Taylor Ham)
John Taylor was an American businessman and politician who served in the New Jersey Senate. He formed Taylor Provisions Company and created Pork Roll. He also founded the Taylor Opera House in Trenton, New Jersey. Taylor Street in Trenton is also named for him.Taylor was born in Hamilton Square,...
of Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, though several firms produce their own versions.
Origin and description
A similar product, packed minced ham, may have been produced at the time of the Battle of TrentonBattle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
.
Taylor kept the recipe for the product he created in 1856 secret. George Washington Case, a farmer and butcher from nearby Belle Mead, New Jersey
Belle Mead, New Jersey
Belle Mead is a census-designated place which straddles Montgomery Township and Hillsborough Township in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Up until about 1875, Belle Mead, then named Plainville, was part of Harlingen. It was a quiet farming region when about that time a New York City contractor named...
, created his own recipe for pork roll in 1870. Case's was reportedly packaged in corn husks.
Taylor originally called his product "Taylor's Prepared Ham", but was forced to change the name after the Pure Food and Drug Act
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of June 30, 1906, is a United States federal law that provided federal inspection of meat products and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated food products and poisonous patent medicines...
of 1906 was passed, since the product did not meet the new legal definition of "ham". The new name was "Pork Roll" and it was marketed as both "Taylor's Pork Roll" and "Trenton Pork Roll". Competitors marketed products with similar names like "Rolled Pork" and "Trenton style Pork Roll" and were sued by Taylor. A 1910 legal case ruled that the words "Pork Roll" could not be trademarked.
Some people compare the taste and/or texture to SPAM
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
, Treet
Treet
Treet is a canned meat product, similar to Spam, that is marketed by Pinnacle Foods' Armour Star subsidiary in the USA. Treet is made with chicken and pork....
, bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, mild salami
Salami
Salami is cured sausage, fermented and air-dried meat, originating from one of a variety of animals. Historically, salami has been popular among Southern European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for periods of up to 10 years, supplementing a possibly meager or inconsistent...
, smoked summer sausage
Summer sausage
Summer sausage is any sausage that can be kept without refrigeration. Summer sausage is usually a mixture of pork and other meat such as beef or venison. Summer sausage can be dried or smoked, and while curing ingredients vary significantly, curing salt is almost always used...
, or US-style Canadian bacon
Back bacon
Back bacon is bacon prepared from centre-cut boneless pork loin. The name refers to the cut of meat, which is from the back, and distinguishes it from other bacon made from pork belly or other cuts. Unlike other bacon, back bacon is not brined, cured, boiled, or smoked...
. In 1910 it was described as "a food article made of pork, packed in a cylindrical cotton sack or bag in such form that it could be quickly prepared for cooking by slicing without removal from the bag."
Pork roll is generally sold in 1, 1.5, and 3 lb. unsliced rolls packed in cotton bag, as well as 6 oz. boxes containing 4, 6, or 8 slices. Larger rolls and packages are available for food service customers. It is also sold at delicatessen
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
s, diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
s, lunch stands and food truck
Food truck
A food truck, mobile kitchen, mobile canteen, or catering truck is a mobile venue that sells food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell mostly frozen or prepackaged food; others are more like restaurants-on-wheels...
s in the region. It has also been a staple in public school cafeterias in New Jersey.
Preparation
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
bacon.
Though typically eaten as part of a sandwich, pork roll can also be used in many other recipes. Depending on the type of sandwich and the location within the region, popular condiments and toppings include salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
, mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
, lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, and tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
.
Jersey Breakfast
A popular breakfast sandwichBreakfast sandwich
A breakfast sandwich is a sandwich served for breakfast at fast food restaurants and delis or bought as a fast ready to heat and eat sandwich from a store. Breakfast sandwiches can also be made from scratch in the home....
in the region made with pork roll is known as the Jersey Breakfast, a "Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese", or a "Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese." A Jersey Breakfast always contains pork roll, typically served with american cheese
American cheese
American cheese is a processed cheese. It is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. American cheese was originally only white, but is usually now modified to yellow. In the past it was made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby...
on a hard roll or on a bagel. It is a staple of many delis, diners, bakeries, and breakfast spots in New Jersey. In Philadelphia, the hard roll is commonly replaced with the locally ubiquitous "long roll" used for hoagies and cheesesteak
Cheesesteak
A cheesesteak, also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheese steak, or steak and cheese, is a sandwich made from thinly-sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese in a long roll...
s.
Brand names
Taylor and Trenton are the brand names for pork roll made by Taylor Provisions, of Trenton, NJ. Other companies making pork roll include crosstown rivals Case Pork Roll Company and Loeffler's Gourmet, as well as Hatfield Quality MeatsHatfield Quality Meats
Hatfield Quality Meats is primarily a pork meat packing company based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. It produces over 1,200 different fresh and manufactured pork products. Hatfield's distribution is primarily on the East Coast of the United States, as well as some international markets...
of Hatfield, PA and Alderfer Premium Meats of Harleysville, PA.