New Orleans' Poboys: What's in a name?

Oyster Poboys were my absolute favorite! For years I wondered how to re-create that flavor... until one day I discovered that I could use fried oyster mushrooms...

Welcome to our blog post about the history of New Orleans' Okra File Gumbo. New Orleans is a melting pot of cultures, just like its cuisine... Being a native of New Orleans, when I became Vegan I really missed all of my old favorites like Gumbo, Poboys, Stuffed Artichokes, Oyster Dressing, and so many other fabulous dishes. In researching how to re-create them into Vegan options, I started learning about the history of our New Orleans' Creole + Cajun Cuisines (Yes they are different). Creole derives from when we were under Spanish rule and Cajun derives from when we were under French rule. But actually there is a third + fourth .... African and Choctow cultures as well.... In our blog we will share our unique "melting pot" Heritage and re-create via GRAB n GO Vegan!

Oyster Mushrooms... who knew that is how they got their name? I didn't!

"Wow... oyster mushrooms taste just like oysters. That must be where they get their name."

One day I ordered oyster mushrooms off of the menu, because it was basically the only vegan option that they had, and low and behold my revelation... "Wow... oyster mushrooms taste just like oysters. That must be where they get their name."

Who invented the Poboy?

Bennie and Clovis Martin, brothers, left their Raceland, Louisiana, home in the Acadia region in the mid-1910's for New Orleans. Both worked as streetcar conductors until they opened Martin Brothers Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market in 1922.

How did the Poboy get its name?

"Here comes another Poor boy!"

History of the Po-boy Later, they opened a sandwich shop near the French Market and made a culinary discovery: if they concocted sandwiches out of the traditional loaf of French bread, with its tapered ends, the resulting sandwiches would vary in size. The solution was relatively simple: the modern, more or less symmetrical Poboy loaf, which could be cut into equal size sandwiches.

As for the name, during the late 1920's, the New Orleans streetcar conductors went on strike. The Martins vowed to feed their striking brethren for free. When one of the strikers entered their shop, the call went out: "Here comes another Poor boy!" And it eventually shortened into "Poboy" as everything seems to do in New Orleans culture.

The ingredients that go on a Poboy are virtually limitless, depending on one's imagination: hot roast beef with gravy, ham and cheese (known in New Orleans as a "combination"), fried seafood (oysters, shrimp, softshell crabs, catfish), hot sausage, meatballs--even French fries. When the New Orleans Poboy is "dressed," the reference has nothing to do with fashion: "dressed" in New Orleans nomenclature means that lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise are added. Poboys are the great equalizers of New Orleans culture, consumed by workingmen, bankers, doctors, lawyers, musicians, Mardi Gras Indian chiefs, and Carnival Kings. What the finest Poboys have in common is bread baked by Leidenheimer, "Good to the last Crumb" since 1896.

Get Inspired

We re-create our version of the OYSTER POBOY using OYSTER MUSHROOMS and keep it GRAB n GO Vegan!