"The National Foodball League" Project: Buffalo

by Mike “on Weck” Lunsford, Editor-In-Chief of the Great Geek Refuge

There comes a point in every journey when the hero has to step outside of their comfort zone. Frodo and Sam had to acknowledge that leaving the Shire was going to put them the furthest away from home they had ever been. Sure, you can be afraid to leave the comfort of the East Coast cities you grew up in and know like the back of your hand, but at some point you gotta make that step into the unknown and embrace the fact that you’re going to enjoy the journey of learning about places you’ve never been.

I’d say I’m more Frodo in this. I’m looking forward to the journey. I guess that makes y’all Sam. Come on, Sam. This will be fun. No ringwraiths or Gollums or anything like that. It’s just Buffalo.

We are now in terra incognita, that’s “unknown territory” for those of you who never had to learn Latin. I’ve only passed through Buffalo, New York. If there was a counter that showed how much time I had spent there, similar to those in RPGs, it’s probably a total of 5-6 hours. That includes stopping to get gas and having a meal. I wouldn’t consider having coffee and a donut at a Tim Horton’s experiencing Buffalo’s finest culinary delicacies. I have gotten to try a few of the staples due to Buffalo natives transplanting some of those favorites to the D.C. metro area. Let’s start with the history of the city.

Buffalo sits along Lake Erie in Western New York. It is less than 100 miles from Toronto and very close to picturesque Niagara Falls. Unlike the other previous cities, it is not along the East Coast of the United States, it is a good ways inland. It was a strategic location during the Revolutionary War as it is only a few miles from the Canadian border. In fact, after America won its independence, the area was fought over by both New York and Massachussetts as it was not established yet who would own the land. In 1797, Buffalo became a town. The company who purchased the land from Massachussetts for New York named the area New Amsterdam but residents refused to call it that and stuck with the original Native name of Buffalo.

New Amsterdam is 0-2 in the state of New York. lol

Buffalo plugged along, growing slowly. The design of the city at the mouth of Buffalo Creek (clever name, huh?) was surveyed and planned by Joseph Ellicott, the same man who designed the grid and spoke layout of Washington, D.C.

The city had a giant boom in population after the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. The canal connected New York City and it’s Atlantic port to the western interior of the country, allowing goods to be shipped by water which was 95% cheaper and much faster than the “on a wagon” method. The creation of the Erie Canal was integral in the establishment of New York as a powerhouse economically and politically for years to come. As went New York state, so went Buffalo as it became the second most populated area in New York behind NYC.

As New York was one of the first states to abolish slavery and it’s proximity to Canada, Buffalo was often the last stop for escaping slaves in the Underground Railroad. The increased need for workers because of the canal, the freedom living there allowed and the proximity to Canada made Buffalo a desirable place for many different types of people to settle. And as we’ve learned so far when it comes to these cities: diversity means ridiculously good food. Buffalo is no different.

In 2015, the National Geographic Society ranked Buffalo third on their list of "The World's Top Ten Food Cities.” Read that again. Third in the WORLD, not third in the nation, not third in New York. That’s pretty damn impressive. National Geographic has seen some things. They know what’s up. Let’s get started with our some of that iconic food.

There’s a unique confection that is all the rage in the Lake Erie region called sponge candy. For those of us not in the know, this sounds like a strange thing to want to eat. I hear sponge, I think gross, water-logged squares. The name is more about what it looks like and less the texture, plus the look is more akin to a natural sponge instead of the dish variety. It’s basically a light, airy toffee that is covered in chocolate. I’ve had some when I visited Erie, PA a few years ago, the fringe of the “Sponge Candy Region.” It’s definitely worth a try. The problem with naming a football team after candy is no one is gonna take them seriously. This is a weak argument as I’ve named teams after pizza, bagels, crustaceans and hot dogs but here we are. Bottom line with this, while it is iconic, it is not iconic enough.

Another strong contender for the Buffalo franchise name is quite possibly the most iconic sandwich to come from the region. It’s called “Beef on Weck.” What is that exactly other than sounding like Elmer Fudd describing an accident involving a cow? It all stems from the “weck” part. The full name is kummelweck, which is the special bread it’s served on; a roll that is topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. Kummelweck translates from German to “caraway roll.” The beef part? Roast beef, typically slow-roasted and served rare and with a spread of horseradish on the top bun. Sounds a lot like the Baltimore “Pit Beef,” right? Ahhh, here’s where Buffalo takes it up a notch: before the horseradish spread, the bread is dipped in au jus. Bro.

BRO!

I’ve had this sandwich. A local sports bar type restaurant that served iconic foods from various famous sports cities had a beef on weck that I tried. I’m a convert. In fact, it’s better than Baltimore Pit Beef. Yeah, I said it. Fight me, Marylanders. I owe you nothing. Delicious is delicious. I could definitely see a “Buffalo Beef on Wecks” logo. Hell, I may make an alternate logo for that soon.

The “contest” of which iconic food would come on top truly was a ruse as there’s no possible way you could do a “foodball” team based out of Buffalo not named after the next contender. It’s in the name for crying out. Sure, some people call them chicken wings or hot wings, but the name Buffalo is synonymous with spicy chicken wings. Just like New York pizza or New England clam chowder, the location is part of the identifier of this food.

Buffalo wings and their original creation is not a cut and dry answer as to “who invented them.” We ran into the same thing when we talked about the first pizza place in America. Just like pizza, the recognized creator of wings, co-owner of Anchor Bar Teressa Bellissimo, can not be confirmed as the actual inventor. I’m not going to go into the details, you can read for yourself, so we’ll stick with the official depiction. Based on Bellissimo’s story, In 1964 Teressa made some spicy fried chicken wings for some patrons at the bar. She made a sauce that was a mix of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, butter, and cayenne pepper. Allegedly, a legend was born that day.

Allegedly

For those who are not familiar with the authentic Buffalo wings, they are not breaded. Initially they were made to be served as hors d’oeuvres to entice patrons to drink more, but the appetizers became iconic. Seen above, the traditional way to serve them is with celery (sometimes carrots) and blue cheese to dip. I can not confirm, but there are stories of patrons who request ranch dressing never being seen again.

So, without further ado I give you the Buffalo Wings in both their current white helmets and the red variants where they saw so much success in the 90s.

Other fans rip on the Buffalo football team. “They lost 4 Super Bowls!” Yes, this is true, but their first lost was a toss up. They arguably could have beaten New York in that game. Their second was against a Washington team that is often called one of the greatest teams of all time. Those 2 against Dallas? Woof. What a mess. But 4 Super Bowl appearances in a row? That’s incredibly impressive. And Buffalo fans continue to be loyal in spite of those losses and some pretty lean years since those Super Bowl trips. They are one of the most passionate fan bases out there (and possibly insane).

never give up. never surrender lol

If you are a Buffalo fan yourself, or you have a friend or family member in love with Buffalo, or someone who really loves Buffalo wings and need a t-shirt or a hoodie, just click on the images below. Both shirts and hoodies come in blue or red!

Don’t forget the stickers!!! We got those, too!

I learned a lot about Buffalo. It seems like a really cool city, with a lot of history. The area looks beautiful with Niagara Falls not far way as well. Our next journey takes us south into Pennsylvania to the Steel City of Pittsburgh. Make sure you check back in next week!