Sloppy Joes were a school cafeteria lunch line staple

Exactly where and when the Sloppy Joe loose meat sandwich originated is of little consequence to retired business executive Scott Loftesness of Menlo Park, Calif., who is enjoying a second career as an urban photographer.

 

He has mental pictures of where the Sloppy Joe “found its true home” after World War II, and that is on school cafeteria lunch lines.

“It was affordable, nutritious (for its time) and a hit with kids. It seems like we had Sloppy Joes at least once a week,” Loftesness wrote.

“The Sloppy Joe sandwich is a true American classic, with its signature blend of seasoned ground beef in a sweet-tangy tomato sauce. It’s a messy sandwich, but that’s what makes it so delicious,” he said.

 

“And let’s not forget the iconic white bread bun that barely holds it all together. It’s a culinary experience that’s been both a delight and a terror for generations of school children.”

 

“My own memories of cafeteria Sloppy Joes are vivid,” Loftesness said. “The plastic trays, the scratched compartments and that impossibly orange-red mixture. The cafeteria ladies would scoop out a steaming heap, creating a precarious mound of meat on a flimsy bun. We all knew it would usually end up dripping on our shirt, no matter how carefully we ate.”

 

“The Sloppy Joe had a unique distinction: the school cafeteria version was the ultimate,” he said. “It’s the one that stuck in my mind. No matter how many fancy interpretations chefs have tried over the years, nothing quite captures the essence of this messy sandwich like that institutional preparation that fed me and many other millions of American schoolchildren.”

Writing for the Blue Apron website, Anna Brones also commented about Sloppy Joes and school lunch menus.

Robert Jaber, a school nutritionist in Washington, D.C., told Brones: “I think the origination of placing Sloppy Joes on school menus likely came from a need for a fulfilling, hearty meal with a minimal cost. The Sloppy Joe, if served properly, can be the perfect combination of economics, nutrition, heartiness and student acceptance – it’s an ideal choice for a school menu.”

Beginning in 1969, Americans could get their Sloppy Joe sauce straight out of can. The “Manwich” product was introduced by Hunt’s, a major unit within the Conagra Brands conglomerate.

Manwich is a clever “portmanteau,” a linguistic blend of words. In this case, “man” and “sandwich.” But the product was marketed as a family one-pan meal that could be prepared in a skillet. Fry up crumbled ground beef, drain and add a can.

 

The company says: “Manwich is made with a tomato purée base and sweetened with both regular and high-fructose corn syrup. A touch of distilled vinegar adds a pleasant kick of acidity. The sauce also contains spices like chili pepper as well as aromatics like garlic.”

In the southern United States, a popular loose meat Sloppy Joe variation was christened as a “Southern Burger.” It combines crumbly ground beef with chicken gumbo soup. Most likely, the basic recipe was created by the Campbell Soup Company when it added Chicken Gumbo to its line of soup products in 1947.

 

Primary ingredients in each can of Chicken Gumbo soup are chicken broth, diced tomatoes, okra, rice, celery and soy-seasoned chicken. Mix in the sauteed ground beef along with chopped onions, ketchup and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Online Southern Burger recipes are plentiful. Jacki of Recipes Made With Love suggests adding a dab of brown sugar to sweeten the pot. Ashley of The Darling Apron adds celery as well as brown sugar.