Hey New Jersey, Let’s Celebrate National Pork Roll Day.!
On May 23rd, the Garden State celebrates a holiday we can all get down with, National Pork Roll Day.
Sorry North Jersey, there is no such thing as National Taylor Ham Day.
That controversial breakfast meat has its own special day and we’re all here for it.
Some History On Pork Roll
According to Jerseyporkroll.com, Pork Roll is a food developed by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey, in the late 19th century.
Taylor is the brand name for pork roll made by Taylor Provisions, Inc., of Trenton. Taylor also manufactures pork roll under the Trenton brand. Trenton by Taylor has been an advertiser on the outfield wall at Mercer County Waterfront Park in Trenton since it opened in 1994.
Taylor kept the recipe for the product he created in 1856 secret. Taylor originally called his product “Taylor’s Prepared Ham” but was forced to change the name after the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed, since the product did not meet the new legal definition of “ham”. The new name was “Pork Roll” and it was marketed as both “Taylor’s Pork Roll” and “Trenton Pork Roll”. Competitors marketed products with similar names like “Rolled Pork” and “Trenton style Pork Roll” and were sued by Taylor. A 1910 legal case ruled that the words “Pork Roll” could not be trademarked.
In 1910 it was described as “a food article made of pork, packed in a cylindrical cotton sack or bag in such form that it could be quickly prepared for cooking by slicing without removal from the bag.”
That cotton sack of pork product is the food of the Gods here in the Garden State.
We even have a store in Allentown dedicated to this salty breakfast meat. You can visit The Pork Roll Store at 1251 Yardville Allentown Rd, Allentown, NJ 08501.
Their website reads: The Pork Roll Store of Allentown NJ is a family-owned butcher shop that customizes in specialty meat orders and prime cuts. Proudly serving customers for over 100 years. Voted the number one Pork Roll!
Here at WRAT, we have a category in the WRAT Shore Awards for Best Pork Roll On the Jersey Shore. This year, Tommy’s Kitchen on Herbertsville Road in Brick took the honors.
Let’s not argue about what this delicious savory breakfast meat is called. Let’s agree that Jersey folks love it, no matter what it’s called.
Let’s take a look at where some of our NJ pork roll enthusiasts go to get a great pork roll sandwich.
