CHARLESTON, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – Although the pepperoni roll has been seen as the Mountain State’s unofficial state food for decades, a recent House Resolution introduced by more than 40 delegates could make the food’s standing official.
The resolution begins by detailing the origins of the legendary food, which dates back to the late 1920s.
The pepperoni roll was first created in Fairmont in 1927 by Italian immigrant baker Giuseppe “Joseph” Argiro.
Likening the pepperoni roll to a Philadelphia cheesesteak or a New York bagel, the resolution says it’s no surprise that the pepperoni roll “quickly became a daily staple for coal miners and struggling families.”
However, regardless of the food’s popularity, in 1987, the United States Department of Agriculture proposed restrictions that threatened to put the family-owned bakeries of pepperoni rolls out of business. West Virginia Pepperoni Roll producers quickly contacted Senator Jay Rockefeller, who intervened and successfully saved the entire industry.
Without the change, the resolution says several West Virginia businesses such as County Club, Tomarro’s, Chico’s Dairy, Colasessano’s and Nu Era Bakery might not be in business today.
“Today, the humble pepperoni roll is ubiquitous around the mountain state and may be found in restaurants, bakeries, convenience stores and family kitchens, eaten cold or hot, this simple food continued to sustain West Virginians from every walk of life, coal miners, artists, business people and students,” the resolution reads.
Because the pepperoni roll is as popular as ever and is enjoyed every day throughout West Virginia and the states that West Virginia bakeries supply, the Legislature of West Virginia recognizes the significance of the state’s pepperoni roll and by doing so declares that, if passed, the resolution will see the “pepperoni roll” as the official State Food of West Virginia.
Read the full resolution here.
