Though it’s become a regional delicacy throughout the city of St. Louis, the original Gerber sandwich was invented at Ruma’s Deli in 1973. Named after a neighbor of the deli, Dick Gerber, who created his own sandwich in the deli’s kitchen, a Gerber sandwich is open-faced and has a garlic bread base. It’s then topped with ham and a melted processed cheese known as Provel.

Runza sandwiches are believed to have been inspired by German and Russian recipes from the 18th century. Originally created as a lunch for field workers, runzas typically contain beef, cabbage, onions, and seasoning, and are often presented in a rectangularly shaped bread pocket. There’s even a regional fast food chain in Nebraska named Runza that specializes in these local sandwiches.

The cudighi sandwich originated in Italy and was brought to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula region by Italian immigrants around the 1930s. The sandwich contains Italian pork sausage, which is topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella, and served on a roll. Cudighis are commonly found on the menu at regional pizza joints.

The horseshoe sandwich was the brainchild of Joe Schweska, a chef at a Springfield hotel who conceived of the dish in the 1920s. The recipe calls for two slices of toast topped with meat, french fries, and cheese sauce. It earned its name for being served on a metal plate called an “anvil,” with the fries representing horseshoe nails.

Unique to Salem, Massachusetts, the chop suey sandwich is a dish that dates back to around 1875. Created by Chinese immigrants in the city, the fusion sandwich is served on hamburger buns and filled with sautéed chicken or pork, celery, onions, and bean sprouts, all cooked in a soy sauce gravy.

In an argument that’s raged for decades, two Minneapolis bars — Matt’s Bar and the 5-8 Club — claim to have invented the Juicy Lucy. The burger is known for being stuffed with gooey cheese inside the meat rather than having cheese on top. Variants include a Thanksgiving version — a turkey burger filled with stuffing — and an experimental burger stuffed with peanut butter and jelly.

Primanti Bros. is a Pittsburgh institution known for its sandwiches stuffed with French fries. The restaurant first opened in 1933, but the fries weren’t originally a part of the restaurant’s identity. According to legend, one winter several years later, a customer showed up with a load of potatoes, which the chefs fried and added to sandwiches — a decision that became an immediate hit.

Spiedies are a regional sandwich that originated in the central New York town of Binghamton. The dish is simple, often containing cubes of marinated meat — mainly chicken or pork, but also lamb and beef — served on a plain long roll. The special spiedie marinade is akin to Italian dressing, containing zesty and tangy spices.

The Denver sandwich appropriately features a Denver omelette as its main ingredient, which is served between two slices of bread. Denver omelettes are traditionally prepared with eggs, onions, peppers, and ham. While the sandwich’s origins are unclear, food writer James Beard theorizes that it was created by local Chinese chefs who catered to railroad workers during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The beef on weck sandwich — sliced roast beef on a roll topped with caraway seeds — is a Buffalo icon originating with German immigrants. A Bavarian baker named William Wahr is said to have introduced the kummelweck roll to America in the 1800s. The beef on weck has been served by a local Buffalo restaurant named Schwabl’s since 1837.

Costing just $1.50 and containing a simple mix of pimento cheese on white bread, the pimento cheese sandwich has been sold at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, since as far back as the 1940s. The sandwich sold at the tournament features a secret blend of cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos, and is made fresh on site and sold in a simple green to-go bag.

The roots of the fluffernutter sandwich trace back to none other than the great-great-great-grandchildren of Paul Revere. In 1913, Emma and Amory Curtis of Melrose, Massachusetts, began selling a marshmallow spread. The first recipe using peanut butter was published a few years later, and a sandwich incorporating the spread became known as a “fluffernutter” in 1960.

Despite its name, the Cubano sandwich originated in Tampa, Florida around 1900, when Cuban immigrants to the region sought to create their own version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Cubano sandwiches usually contain two types of pig-based meat — ham and roast pork — which are topped with Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard.

The Italian beef sandwich’s origin dates to the early 1900s, when stewed slices of beef were served at weddings. The sandwich grew in popularity after Chicago’s first Al's #1 Italian Beef restaurant opened in 1938. Italian beef sandwiches typically feature beef cooked au jus (in its own juices), which is then layered with giardiniera (a pickled pepper relish) and served on Italian bread.

While its origins are debated, at least one restaurant lays claim to the first lobster roll — Perry’s in Milford, Connecticut, which began serving the sandwich in 1929. Lobster rolls usually feature chunks of butter-soaked lobster stuffed into a hot dog bun, accompanied by a light mayonnaise spread. The sandwich boomed in popularity in 1970s Maine after being sold at roadside stands across the state.

Brothers Bennie and Clovis Martin created the po'boy at the Martin Brothers’ French Market and Coffee Stand in 1929, when they decided to give away sandwiches following a New Orleans streetcar strike. These original po'boy sandwiches were made of fried potatoes, gravy, and pieces of roast beef on French bread. Today, po'boys are typically made with fried shrimp, crab, or oysters.

While lox is a form of preserved salmon stemming from Scandinavia, and bagels were first created in China and later refined in Italy, it was a group of Jewish New Yorkers who first conceived of putting bagels and lox together in the early- to mid-20th century. Today, the sandwich is often served with cream cheese, onions, capers, and dill.

The Hot Brown originated in Louisville’s Brown Hotel in 1926. The open-faced turkey sandwich is topped with bacon, tomato, and mornay sauce (a bechamel sauce with cheese added). The sandwich is broiled and topped with pecorino, parsley, and paprika — and then served hot.

The muffaletta sandwich was introduced around 1906, when a Sicilian man named Lupo Salvadore opened a store called Central Grocery in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The sandwich contains cured meats, provolone, and a signature olive dressing — the ingredients are piled atop a giant round sesame roll that’s meant to be shared.

While you can likely find any of these sandwiches in Philadelphia, none is more synonymous with the city than the cheesesteak. Philadelphia cheesesteaks are typically prepared with beef and onions, topped with American cheese, provolone, or Cheez Whiz. Two of Philly’s most popular cheesesteak vendors are Pat’s and Geno’s, though there are many others in the city.