Philly Cheesesteak Ingredients

• The Philly cheesesteak, shown here with green peppers, originated in Philadelphia. Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

  A Philly cheesesteak consists of thinly cut beef cooked with onions and topped with cheese, served on a roll or short loaf of bread. The sandwich originated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1930s. In the 1940s the creators of the sandwich, the Olivieri brothers, opened Pat's King of Steaks, a 24-hour sandwich shop. That's where someone added cheese to their beef sandwiches, creating what became known as the Philly cheesesteak.

Meat and onions

• Philly cheesesteaks contain sauteed beef and onions, cooked together in oil over high heat. Prep work includes shaving frozen beef into paper-thin slices before cooking and cutting the onion into thin rings. Salt, black pepper and garlic season the sandwich.

Cheese

• The Philly cheesesteak uses Cheez Whiz, a processed cheese product, American or provolone cheese. Sandwich shops melt Cheez Whiz in advance and slather it onto the meat and onions. In some cases, they use slices of other cheeses, placed on the meat while it's still cooking to melt it.

Bread

• Philly cheesesteaks use sandwich rolls or short hoagie loafs. Some fans insist on a Philadelphia roll, a long, soft-crusted sandwich loaf, to qualify a sandwich as a genuine Philly cheesesteak.

Variations

• Popular variations on the traditional cheesesteak include additional ingredients and sauces. Some variations, such as slices of green bell peppers or mushrooms, are widespread. Sandwich shops and restaurants also add other toppings, such as red pasta sauce.