Subway's BMT Sandwich Was Originally Named After A Piece Of NYC History

If you were around in 1975, you may remember when Subway introduced its BMT sandwich. Fans of the iconic sub then and even now know it as an acronym for the chain's "Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest" sandwich. The description may very well be true, however, the fast food chain originally named the sandwich after an actual subway line: New York's Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit system, also known as the BMT.

The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation was developed in 1923 and acted as a revamp of one of New York's primary subway systems, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit. The BMT would run until 1940 when it was, again, reorganized and purchased by the city of New York. Its 17-year run marked a time of extreme growth and advancement in the city's mass transit system, and therefore, made its mark on the transportation functionality of the large metropolis. The precise reason Subway paid homage to the BMT is unknown, and perhaps the most curious element is that the company had no locations in the city at the time it debuted the sandwich. Still, there is no denying that New York has one of the most iconic subway systems on the planet, so it only made sense for an eatery called "Subway" to acknowledge it.

The original BMT sandwich at Subway was piled high with slices of Genoa salami, spicy pepperoni, and Black Forest ham, certainly living up to its "biggest, meatiest" reputation. It was customizable with the customer's choice of veggies, condiments, and cheese. Recently, Subway changed several of its classic sandwiches, including the BMT, which is now known as the Ultimate BMT. In addition, if you're looking for it under the chain's classic sandwiches, you may not see it, as it is listed under "Italianos" in the Subway Series category on the chain's website.

The sandwich itself is basically what you would have gotten in 1975: full of delicious deli meat on soft, baked bread. Other Italianos at Subway look similar to the BMT, with subtle differences; the Hotshot Italiano includes all of the aforementioned meat, plus jalapeños and a parmesan vinaigrette, while the Supreme Meat sandwich also includes capicola.

New York has inspired many dishes, not just Subway's BMT. Take the Waldorf salad, for example. The timeless salad consisting of apples, celery, and mayonnaise was created by Oscar Tschirky, the maitre d'hotel of the iconic Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1893. While cheesecake has a long, rich history dating back to the ancient Greek civilization, New York-style cheesecake as we know it today is said to have been created by Arnold Reuben in Manhattan in the 1930s. Fun fact: This is the same gentleman who supposedly created the Reuben sandwich, the very dish that inspired fast food chains to put Thousand Island on their burgers.

Manhattan clam chowder is believed to have been developed in the mid-19th century by New York's rapidly growing Italian population who added the Italian staple, tomatoes, to the broth-based vegetable soup. And, of course, New York has made its mark on pizza, which has an infamous style named after the city itself. New York-style pizza was influenced by Neapolitan pizza in the early 1900s, but the city that never sleeps made the dish its own with large pies, foldable slices, hand-tossed dough, and that New York City tap water which supposedly makes the dough (as well as NYC bagels) taste that much better.