The Denver Omelette Got Its Start As A Massively Popular Sandwich
If you've ever visited a diner, you've almost certainly seen — and most likely tried — a Denver omelette. This iconic pairing of eggs with ham, onion, bell peppers, and often cheese (cheddar and Monterey Jack are the preferred varieties) is one of the few dishes named for an American city that actually has nationwide appeal; although depending on one's location, it may be known as a Western omelette instead.
Despite its current breakfast fame, however, the Denver omelette has a rather disreputable history. At least, it does if you believe the official version of the story, the one now remembered on a plaque in downtown Denver. According to this account, the omelette was created by pioneer residents, with its ingredients (specifically, onion) intended to overpower the taste of the invariably stale eggs, which had been shipped overland by covered wagon. This story is quite colorful. It's also probably not true.
Most regional historians, for instance, agree that the Denver omelette actually evolved from the earlier, and also nationally known, Denver sandwich. The latter, naturally, has its own complicated history filled with disputed origin stories. Many of them date back to the turn of the 20th century; meaning, they're too recent for covered wagons. But for those attached to the stale eggs story, there are also versions that stretch back to Denver's distant 19th century pioneer past.
The origin of the Denver sandwich
The Denver sandwich has one more ingredient than the Denver omelette. That ingredient is bread; as in two slices of it to hold in the eggs and other ingredients. The heyday of the Denver sandwich was undoubtedly the 1950s, when its breakfast fame was lauded in national newspapers and magazines. But by the 1980s, the bread had largely disappeared, and the most likely menu item to have Denver affixed to its name was the Denver omelette. The sandwich, however, still exists, although it has become something of a rarity.
But, of course, the story of the Denver sandwich goes back much farther than the 1950s. Some have attributed its origins to an unnamed Italian street cart vendor circa 1893. It's also possible the sandwich was invented by turn-of-the-century restaurant owners like M.D. Looney and Albert A. McVittie. Both, for example, had claimed it as their own by 1907.
There are other more remote origin stories, however, ones that date back to the 19th century, when Denver was a thriving boomtown. The old stale eggs from a covered wagon story, for instance, still has its proponents, along with speculation that the sandwich was actually created by pioneer women. It has also been suggested that the Denver sandwich was invented on long cattle drives during this era. The most interesting, and probably most plausible explanation, though, involves Chinese immigrants and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Egg foo yung's relationship with the Denver sandwich
When the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, the U.S, for the first time, could boast a communication and shipping network that spanned from coast to coast. The railroad was a mammoth undertaking, however, with dangerous and difficult work on the western portion overwhelmingly undertaken by poorly paid Chinese immigrants. In fact, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Chinese workers were contracted expressly for this purpose.
Denver's involvement with this enormous railroad project is also well-established. When Denver wasn't a waypoint on the original Transcontinental route, disgruntled city residents constructed their own rail line to ensure they stayed connected. This shared history, then, lends credence to the claim that Chinese cooks working for the railroad created the Denver sandwich from leftovers based on a dish from their home province of Guangdong (the main immigration hub). That dish, of course, was egg foo yung.
Egg foo yung, despite the fact it's mainly served for dinner in Chinese restaurants, is an omelette that pairs eggs with meat and vegetables. Meaning, it fits the basic recipe for the Denver sandwich. There is no definitive evidence to substantiate this historical claim, but James Beard, the man who inspired America's foremost culinary awards, certainly believed this version to be true. If it is, then the Denver sandwich likely dates back to the 1860s, when wagons were still in use. So maybe the eggs were stale after all.