French dip | Au jus, Roast Beef, Dip Sandwich (2024)

French dip, a sandwich traditionally consisting of sliced roast beef (though pork, ham, turkey, and lamb are sometimes used), served on French bread, and eaten au jus (“with juice,” referring to the flavourful drippings of the meat left over from roasting). The juice is commonly served on the side in a small dipping bowl. Cheese, hot peppers, and assorted condiments, including spicy mustard, are often offered with the sandwich, along with french fries. Two Los Angeles restaurants, Philippe The Original and Cole’s, claim to have invented the sandwich in the early 20th century. According to the former restaurant, Philippe Mathieu, its founder, invented the sandwich in 1918 when he accidently dropped a French roll into a juice-filled roasting pan, and the customer said he would eat the “dipped” sandwich anyway. Cole’s, however, asserts that it created the sandwich in 1908, possibly for a customer with sore gums, who requested that the crunchy bread be softened with meat juice.