Around the World 8 - Capicola & Cheese - The Best.

I am going Around the World on the Primantis menu, eating every sandwich, in order.

Capicola! Finally! Wonderfully delicious and robust in every way, this is the benchmark of sammich meats.

Underneath all that is heaven.

I am surprised by how many people don't know what capicola is. If you've ever heard an overzealous Italian stereotype raving about food and they said "gabagoooool", this is what they're raving about. Simply put, it's a spiced ham. That's not "spicy ham", it has a nice zing to it and you get a little heat on the tongue, but I don't think anybody would call it spicy. Apparently the preparation process is very different from that of ham, but that's what you really need to know about it. 

This is Capicola. Look at that wonderful marbling.

Look at it! That's art!

Years ago, I was listening to local radio station WDVE and their comedy sketches from their morning show, which features a lot of local flavor. One of them, I do believe it was CSI: Pittsburgh, and one of the characters mentioned eating a capicola and egg sandwich. I decided to try it one day, and I never looked back.

Perhaps the best example of Pittsburghese out there.

This particular sammich doesn't have the egg, but it's still superior. 

The flavor is truly superior. You get that little bit of heat, and it's a slow heat, you feel it on your tongue halfway through a good bite, and it's just enough to make itself known. It's bold, but it isn't in-your-face. Then the coleslaw cools it down. It's a perfect compliment. If you go too quickly, you could miss it. But you shouldn't, because this is a flavor profile worth lingering for.

The savoriness is there, too. It's a ham, and it has nice marbling, so you get all the savory benefits of a really good ham. Include the french fries, and there's all the body you need in a sammich. There's everything you need there.

Taste: 9 The flavor is perfect. Add an egg, and you enhance that profile, which would make it a 10.

Satisfaction: 8 Sometimes you don't get as much capicola as you'd like. Not usually worth getting double meat, most times you get enough. But some cooks get stingy.

Flavor: 10  The meat's flavor is superb, and then you get the coleslaw complimenting it.

Enjoyable: 10 You have to try it.

Pittsburghness: 8  Yeah, it doesn't scream Pittsburgh, but an Italian spiced ham is pretty good.

Should I Get This Sandwich? Yes! Yes absolutely! Get it with an egg to make it even better!

Ranking:

Capicola

Pittsburgher Cheese Steak

Hot Sausage

Genoa Salami (Double Meat)

Jumbo Baloney

Three Cheese

Ham

Egg