If you are not from the East Coast or spent time here, the above headline may be incredibly inscrutable. I will give you a TL;DR and hope you will still read on.
New Jersey State Senator and salted meat entrepreneur John Taylor unveiled a Taylor's Prepared Ham in 1856, a minced ham that captured the hearts and minds of 19th century New Jerseyans.
It existed as such until 1906, when the FDA decided that ham was a specific cut of pork, and Taylor's Ham did not cut it. Adhering to the linguistic police, Taylor changed the name to Pork Roll, which is it officially called ever since.
FredStrahl4
But what exists on a package and what people will heed are two separate things. The FDA is in its haste did not think about the people who grew up referring to their beloved Taylor's Ham.
Should you find yourself in one of the myriad Northern New Jersey county diners, bagel shops, or delis, you will find a cornucopia of breakfast sandwiches suspended in time, offering cheese and egg and Taylor Ham.
Should you then take a journey down south to the Shore, looking to continue a bender of incredibly unhealthy, but delicious meat sandwich bliss, you will scan a menu in vain for your favored Taylor Ham. In its place, an offer for Pork Roll.
Here's what I can tell you.
The originator of this craze, called The Taylor Provisions Company, is still in existence and proudly proclaiming they are the king.
Taylor Pork Roll
Your mileage may vary, but most North Jersey supermarkets worth their sale will only provide Taylor Provisions Product. You can either get it pre-sliced (my recommendation) or in a proto-loaf
There are upstart competitors, such as: Case (which claims its formation in 1870) and Lancaster among others.
The Kleenex-ification of Taylor Ham and Pork Roll means you may not be able to tell which provider you are consuming if you're ordering either at an establishment across the state. Some establishments, however, may proudly insist that they are selling the version from the original company. Owing to the brand recognition, you'll find more than a few in the North who will only eat Taylor Ham coming from the original Taylor.
From the outside, this appears incredibly stupid. And it probably is. But we New Jerseyans take stupid things way too seriously. As a native North New Jerseyian, I can confess: I will immediately move down the menu if I see Pork Roll, but my eyes stop in their tracks if I see Taylor Ham.
See the map here. As you can see, the North claims Taylor Ham, Central and South claims Pork Roll.
Shoshana Gold
In a 2023 Asbury Park Press article about the divide, John Yarusi, owner of Johnny's Pork Roll and Coffee Too food trucks (who leaves no doubt where he stands), said: "If I had to peg that line, it’s the southern border of Middlesex County and the northern border of Mercer County.
So, if you're on the Jersey Shore, you may struggle to find a menu with Taylor Ham. That is - unless you are in the presence of a North Jersey transplant who defies the local designation.
For example, Seaside Height's Heavy Reel Brewing (read 141 Miles profile here) asks their employees which name they use - 3 employees said Taylor Ham; 2 said Pork Roll.
To be honest, I've spent more time than I'd like to admit looking for Shore establishments that use Taylor Ham instead of Pork Roll. All the places I visit near Lavallette use Pork Roll - so I could use the help of my readers: send me any place you know on The Shore that uses Taylor Ham.
