A South African restaurant recently served a 3-meter-long (9.8-foot) sandwich, the latest offering from an establishment with a taste for the oversized.
The giant submarine sandwich produced by Annies Ladies Bar in Cape Town follows a burger he cooked in 2019 that weighed 124 kilograms (273 pounds).
With no fewer than 10 layers of filling, the sandwich weighed 65.27 kilograms (145 pounds) after being precariously balanced on a scale using a tray with supports.
It took more than four hours to prepare and cost about $160 for the ingredients, said Joe Redelinghuys, who came up with the plan and runs the restaurant and bar with his wife and owner, Annie.
These ingredients included: 3 kilos (6.6 pounds) of tomatoes. About 20 kilos (44 pounds) of meat, ranging from three types of sliced ​​sausages to steaks, hamburger patties and chicken tenders.
Three layers of fries totaling about 10 kilos (22 pounds) to separate the meats. A layer of squid for those who prefer seafood. And, finally, a generous portion of fried onions on top. All in one sandwich.
Sauces ranged from garlic to cheese, pepper, mushroom and tartare, depending on the layer.
Redelinghuys said the biggest challenge was finding a bun that would fit everything in. He had to have three metre-long buns specially baked and assembled.
This sandwich was a giant version of the Gatsby, a famous South African takeaway that has its own history. The Gatsby usually consists of slap chips and meat in a large bun and was traditionally served large enough to feed several people. It originated in Cape Town in the mid-1970s as a takeaway for factory workers who would slice and share it.
It is said that its name comes from the fact that the film “The Great Gatsby” had just been released in theaters.
Redelinghuys said Annies Ladies Bar recently put Gatsby on its menu, and talk at the bar one day last month turned to another big project after the pre-COVID-19 burger.
“So I said that next Saturday I would do the Greatest Gatsby in South Africa,” Redelinghuys said.
The Greatest Gatsby, if you will.
Redelinghuys said he has been in contact with South African record makers and that the sandwich is on track to be recognized as the country’s largest Gatsby sandwich. It is not a potential world record, as the record for the largest sandwich is held by a Roseville, Michigan, steakhouse for a whopping 5,440 pounds (2,467 kilograms) sandwich in 2005, according to Guinness World Records.
The Gatsby has long since disappeared after being offered to Annies regulars as a snack. By Redelinghuys’s calculations, it fed about 140 people.
“We invited a lot of our regular customers (to come eat the sandwich),” Redelinghuys said. “And they invited friends. And their friends invited friends.”
