We Can Thank A Comic Strip For The Dagwood Sandwich

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There are many foods and drinks named after famous people, either in tribute or because they really liked or even invented them. Examples include the perfectly balanced Arnold Palmer that blends lemonade and iced tea, Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream, and the Elvis peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich. The Dagwood sandwich, instead, got its name from someone fictional: Dagwood Bumstead of the comic strip "Blondie," who can't get enough of the sammies.

He is the husband of the title character, Blondie Boopadoop, in the popular comic strip about their family life that debuted nearly a century ago in 1930 and is still being produced today. He loves towering sandwiches, which the strip's late creator, Chic Young, said was the only food the character knew how to make. Dagwood stacks many different kinds of leftovers high between slices of bread, which can include things like a lobster in its shell, a whole fish with its head on, and unpeeled carrots with their green leaves still attached.

Sunday comics + a snack = perfection.
. . .#sundaycomics #comics pic.twitter.com/U87TJIuFFB

— Blondie Comic Strip (@blondie_comic) July 14, 2019

Dagwood's name came to be used for sandwiches with many layered ingredients, commonly fillings like cold cuts, cheese, toppings and condiments, often with extra slices of bread in between. Unlike others such as a BLT, a richly savory Reuben or a melty Cubano, it doesn't have any set ingredients, so you can get creative. That could mean something like a vegetarian take with grilled veggies such as eggplant, mushroom or zucchini layered with other ingredients instead of meats. Or maybe a breakfast version with a fried egg, sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, hash browns, avocado and a shake of hot sauce.

While there is no one way to make a Dagwood, there have been a few versions over the years associated with "Blondie." Chic Young published "Blondie's Cook Book" in 1947 that included a Dagwood sandwich recipe. It called for cold leftover meats; American, Swiss or cottage cheese; sardines, anchovies or salmon; cold baked beans; lettuce; tomatoes; and onions on buttered bread.

Decades later, Young's son Dean, who had taken over running and writing the strip after his father's 1973 death, launched Dagwood Sandwich Shoppes in 2006. The chain's hefty signature namesake included Genoa salami, ham, pepperoni, turkey, provolone, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, roasted bell peppers, red onion, banana peppers, mustard, mayonnaise and a whopping eight slices of bread. The first shop opened in Florida, and others eventually opened in Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and Georgia. But they were all shuttered in 2011 amid lawsuits from franchisees and developers alleging fraud.

Today, visitors to Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, can stop by Blondie's restaurant in Toon Lagoon, which has a colorfully huge Dagwood rising high over the entrance. Order one there and you'll get ham, roast beef, turkey, pimento cheese spread, aged Swiss cheese, special sauce, lettuce, tomato and shaved red onion on an onion poppy seed roll.