National Sloppy Joe Day Date in the current year: March 18, 2024

A sloppy joe is a sandwich that consists of ground beef, onion, ketchup or sweetened tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, usually served on a hamburger bun or, less often, on toast bread (for example, sloppy joe grilled cheese). It is similar to a tavern sandwich, also known as loose meat sandwich. The main difference between the two is that the tavern sandwich is made without a tomato-based sauce.

Sloppy joes have been around since the early 20th century, but it is unclear who was the first to make the sandwich and give it its name. A popular theory claims that sloppy joes originated in Havana, Cuba in 1917. It was created by José “Sloppy Joe” Abeal y Otero, a bar owner whose establishment was reportedly frequented by Americans and Britons such as Ernest Hemingway, Errol Flynn, and Graham Greene. Otero’s inspiration for a ground beef sandwich was ropa vieja, a Cuban dish that includes stewed beef and tomatoes.

The sandwich was brought to the United States by Mr. Sweeney, the then-mayor of Maplewood, New Jersey. Sweeney took a trip to Havana in the 1930s and visited Sloppy Joe’s bar. He liked the ground beef sandwich so much that upon his return to the United States, he asked Freed Joost and Heinz Tiedman, the owners of Town Hall Delicatessen in South Orange, New Jersey, to replicate the recipe. To this day, Town Hall Deli claims to be the birthplace of the sloppy joe.

However, Town Hall Deli’s claim have been disputed by other establishments such as the Ye Olde Tavern Inn in Sioux City, Iowa (the birthplace of the tavern sandwich that just as well could have been the birthplace of the sloppy joe). The first reliable references to sloppy joes as sandwiches date back to the 1940s.

Be that as it may, the sloppy joe is one of the most popular sandwiches in North America. Classic sloppy joes, as we’ve already mentioned above, consist of stewed ground beef with sauces and seasonings served on a hamburger bun, but there are many other variations of the sandwich. For example, ground beef can be served on a hot dog bun like they do in Quebec. The sandwich can be made with ground turkey instead of beef (in which case it may be called a sloppy jane) or contain additional toppings such as cheese, celery or bell peppers.

The origins of National Sloppy Joe Day are unclear, just like the origins of the sandwich itself, but don’t let it stop you from celebrating! You can observe the holiday by ordering a sloppy joe at your favorite diner or making sloppy joes at home. If you decide to cook, you can make things more interesting by getting creative with new recipes or hosting a sloppy joe cook-off for your friends and family. And don’t forget to snap a photo of your sloppy joe before eating it and post it on social media with the hashtags #NationalSloppyJoeDay and #SloppyJoeDay to spread the word.