I'm watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I don't remember where he was, but one of the montage shots showed what looked like a beef commercial. A fan of commercials (and partially responsible for the fact that Thursdays are Commercial day at work) I decided to look up the origins of this great dish...only to find nothing.

That's not entirely true. I did find a thread on the Snopes message board. After I added the word Hot to my searches, I found a bunch of recipes and blog posts...all from Minnesota. Near as I can tell, everywhere else it is just a Hot Beef Sandwich (or turkey or whatever type of meat is used)

So is this just a Minnesota thing to call it a Commercial? Is it kind of like our naming everything Hotdish when most people call it Casserole? Is this in fact a Minnesotaism?

Maybe it is. After all, we are an odd bunch. I am a bit disappointed that Andrew Zimmerin (a New Yorker who moved here after marrying a Minnesotan) didn't mention commercials when he did the Minnesota episode of Bizarre Foods (he did do Lutefisk at least) Maybe it's time to spread the word about Commercials, or even create/modify/reinvent them. (the Commercial Dog I make in the deli is gaining in popularity) Regardless, come to the Deli on Thursdays, or go to your local diner and order a Commercial. You won't be disappointed.

Unless you are a vegetarian, in which case you are screwed. But I'm working on a Veggie alternative. Just taking a bit.



Update: Apparently someone else had the same idea of trying to figure out the origins of the beef commercial