The meal voted as the best from the University of Springfield Student Union cafeteria is the panini! This should come as little surprise, due to how the line on days when paninis are on offer is often out of the cafeteria’s doors. But what exactly is a panini?
Paninis originated in Italy and are sandwiches, typically served warm and filled with deli ingredients such as turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Paninis are an older food, originating in a 16th-century cookbook, though they gained popularity in the United States around 1956.
At the Student Union cafeteria, options for paninis include ham, salami, bacon and turkey for deli meats, as well as provolone, swiss and cheddar cheese. The vegetable options include cucumber, lettuce, red onions and tomatoes. Sauces include peso, chipotle ranch, mayonnaise and ranch. I opted to order a turkey with provolone, lettuce and tomatoes with chipotle ranch sauce. Pickles are offered as a side option, and the coke was not included as part of the meal.
A fun fact about paninis is that a term in the 1980s, “paninaro” from Northern Italy, described a “…group of boys who had coded their own jargon and their own clothing, based fundamentally on certain items of clothing and accessories of famous Italian or foreign brands…” which openly rejected popular American fashions and favored more working-class attire. A female counterpart of this culture was also created, the “squinzia.” The name grew in popularity due to how this youth culture movement frequented sandwich bars as patrons.
RUNNERS UP: Quesadilla, Chicken Tenders
