Wichita is home to Kansas’ best sandwich, magazine says. But is it really a sandwich?
Food & Wine Magazine’s website on Monday published a new list of “The Best Sandwich in every State,” and the Kansas winner, it says, is most easily obtained in Wichita.
But is this sandwich really a sandwich?
In the article, published on the magazine’s website, the author sets out to create a comprehensive list of sandwiches that are “icons and legends, the sandwiches that have stood the test of time. We wanted the ones with an extreme sense of belonging, the sandwiches people would fight for, and possibly over.”
In Kansas, that sandwich is a bierock, the article says, and can be found “old school” at M&M Bierock at 2065 E. Central or “new wave” at Prost, 2721 E. Central. The photo shared with the article is from a Prost Instagram post, showing a work table filled with everything needed for a session of bierock construction.
The bierock, a beef- and cabbage-filled meat pie originated by Volga German settlers, is indeed one of Kansas’ most unique and delicious delicacies. But does it qualify as a sandwich? The Oxford English dictionary defines a sandwich as “an item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with a filling between them, eaten as a light meal.”
The bierock seems to be missing that vital “two pieces of bread” component, and I would say it’s really more of a meat pie. But never mind that. Kansas surely does not produce a sandwich more satisfying, so we’ll let it slide.
The same article says Missouri’s best sandwich is a St. Louis-style hot salami. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s is a hot bologna sandwich, a.k.a. “Oklahoma Tenderloin.” And I’m contemplating a road trip north to Nebraska after reading about its deep fried grilled cheese sandwich.
Austin English, who co-owns Prost with his wife, Manu, said Prost’s inclusion on the list was a “total surprise,” and he learned about it when his landlord sent him a link.
Prost’s bierock is served with potatoes or potato salad and a warm red cabbage salad for $10.
Bierocks can also be found year round at several other Wichita restaurants, including Bagatelle, College Hill Deli, Delano’s Diner, M.I.F. Deli, and Want Bierock Co.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 9:59 AM.
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