Where did the West Virginia pepperoni roll originate?
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Most West Virginians know that the pepperoni roll was created by Italian Appalachians in north central West Virginia, but the recent creation of the Pepperoni Roll Trail is bringing up some friendly debate about the specifics.
The Clarksburg Visitors Bureau announced what it is calling 'the official pepperoni roll smackdown,' a debate on the origins of the pepperoni roll.
'The Marion County CVB and the Clarksburg Visitors Bureau are throwing down their rolls to settle the epic debate: Where did the pepperoni roll originate?'
According to the West Virginia Department of Tourism, the first commercial pepperoni roll was created by Giuseppe Argiro, an emigrant from Calabria, Italy who had worked at a 'Clarksburg-area' coal mine, but the bakery where he sold the pepperoni rolls, what is now Country Club Bakery, is located in Fairmont.
New program lets you earn prizes for trying different pepperoni rolls in West Virginia
Country Club claims that it is still 'selling the original and best pepperoni rolls in the state of West Virginia. However, it's not the only place that claims to be the first. Chico's Bakery in Morgantown claims that the recipe was originally invented by its founder Julia Chico in 1925.
It widely is believed that the wives of coal miners in the area were making versions of pepperoni rolls long before Country Club started selling them, so there is no definite answer on exactly who came up with the idea.
Even with some question on where they actually started, Marion County claims ownership, with a sign outside of Country Club Bakery erected by the West Virginia Humanities Council and William C. Pomeroy Foundation reading:
Pepperoni RollWest Virginia delicacy created by Italian families in Fairmont to feed local coal miners, Variants now popular statewide.
Now, near 100 years later, pepperoni rolls are sold at bakeries across the state, but still most prevalent in the north central region.
Your favorite pepperoni roll could be illegal under new food dye ban
The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll Trail has 15 stops, including Country Club Bakery, where people who download an online passport can check in to win prizes. Stops are mostly in Harrison and Marion counties, but the Donut Spot in Buckhannon is also on the list.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Here's Why Coffee Pros Love a Moka Pot — and How to Make the Perfect Cup
Making coffee doesn't have to be costly or complicated. The inexpensive stovetop moka pot should be a leading contender for an easy, top-quality brew. Invented in the 1930s by Alfonso Bialetti in Crusinallo, Italy, this modest coffee maker has become an archetypal symbol of efficient design around the world. Moka pot devotees have flooded social media with adoration and brewing tips. And top coffee professionals have joined in to share step-by-step tutorials. Renowned coffee expert James Hoffmann has dedicated several videos to the best practices and science behind the moka pot. He even sliced one in half to show its structure and inner workings. Related: Why the Best Coffee Is Made in a Moka Pot 'The moka pot extraction concept is based on speed, simplicity, and intensity of flavor,' says Simone Amenini, head of quality control and education for Ditta Artigianale and the Scuola del Caffè Firenze. 'It took the place of the cuccuma, the Neapolitan coffee pot — which isn't actually Neapolitan — widely used in Italian homes starting from the mid-1800s.' The moka pot could create a stronger-flavored brew, as it extracts the coffee grounds under pressure. 'This decidedly breaks with the trend in other European countries that continued to prefer a softer and smoother coffee on the palate, using infusion-based extractions like coffee pots, French press, syphon, and pour-over,' says Amenini. Moka pots were always present in the homes where Amenini grew up. 'For a long time, it represented the ideal of coffee at home,' he says. 'It represents the morning coffee that my parents prepare when I am at their house. It represents the after-meal coffee at my grandmother's house when we had the whole family gathered together.' A moka pot harnesses steam to push water up through ground coffee and into the top chamber where the completed brew sits. The boiler at the bottom of the pot is filled with water. As the water heats up, it begins to steam and expands the air to press the water up through a funnel and into the middle section, where the ground coffee sits in a basket. The liquid is then pushed through the grounds to the top chamber. The brewed coffee's journey is the opposite of the many drip coffee machines or pour-over methods which rely on gravity. These techniques allow water to drip down over grounds and into a pot below. Morgan Eckroth, drink developer and 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, prefers a moka pot to make coffee without the bells and whistles of a high-powered espresso machine. 'I've always found the tactile and methodical nature of the moka pot to be very grounding,' she says. 'I think, for many folks, moka pots hold a lot of nostalgia, and while I don't necessarily have those same memories, there's something about the brewing style that transports me back. It's a coffee maker that requires you to be present for every stage of the brew in a way that's pretty rare nowadays.' Eckroth loves to travel with a moka pot. Her go-to is the six-cup Bialetti Moka Express. 'It's a brewer that doesn't require the same level of gear that others typically do. A moka pot, grinder, heat source, and coffee are really all you need,' she says. 'A strong, hot cup of coffee from a moka pot while camping is my ideal scenario.' Many award-winning baristas gravitate to detailed brewing recipes with intensive focus on grind size, gram measurements, and water temperature. But the moka pot has been known to inspire a more intuitive process. 'While I'm a huge proponent of utilizing repeatable and trackable coffee recipes, I typically find myself reverting to simpler brewing with the moka pot,' says Eckroth. 'I fill the bottom chamber with preheated water up to the pressure valve and add enough medium-fine coffee to fill the basket. Following these two steps will usually result in a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water.' Eckroth recommends to put an AeroPress filter atop the grounds for an extra level of filtration. 'I start the brew on medium heat, and as soon as the first coffee rises into the upper chamber, I turn the heat down to low, and let it brew slowly,' she says. 'At the very first signs of sputtering, as the lower water chamber empties, I cover and remove the brewer. The coffee should then be served immediately.' Francesco Sanapo, co-founder of Ditta Artigianale and three-time Italian barista champion, feels a deep connection to the moka pot. 'The moka pot is a cultural symbol of Italy,' he says. 'When I was young, I would wake up for school to the smell of moka in my house. Moka plays an important role not only for me, but for all Italian people.' Sanapo uses a moka pot at breakfast every morning with his family. 'My best advice to is always use good, filtered water.' Los Angeles chef Royce Burke, the host of the Carpetbagger podcast, brews coffee in a moka pot daily. Burke's love of the moka pot is also sentimental. 'It's so simple, and the tradition of unscrewing it, tapping out the spent grinds, rinsing, filling the water chamber, grinding the beans by hand, pouring them in, screwing it back on, igniting the burner and listening for the gurgling sound of morning, it makes me so happy,' he says. Fill the bottom chamber with filtered water up to just below the safety valve (the pros often suggest to begin with boiling water for ideal extraction). Add medium-ground coffee to the filter basket. Level the grounds. Do not overfill or press down. Add an AeroPress filter over the coffee grounds for extra filtration (optional). Screw on the top of the moka pot and place the brewer on medium heat. Open the top of the pot to watch for the beginning of extraction. Keep an eye on the pot to see when the coffee begins to fill the top chamber. Take the pot off the heat before it begins to sputter with bubbles. Be careful in case the handle becomes hot on the stove. Close the top and wait a few minutes for the coffee to finish brewing. Most moka pots are not dishwasher safe, so clean them by hand. After you make coffee, rinse with hot water only, and dry thoroughly. When coffee oils build up, add vinegar or citric acid to water in the bottom chamber and brew normally to allow the mixture to enter the top chamber. Then rinse with fresh water. Read the original article on Food & Wine
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
All you need to know about Saturday's Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan
Inter Milan's head coach Simone Inzaghi waves to supporters as Inter team arrive at their hotel ahead of Saturday's Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A soccer fan cools off on a fountain ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A policeman patrols in front of the Town Hall in Marienplatz, ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) PSG fans cheer in downtown ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Inter Milan fan Andrea Trebbi holds up a team scarf in front of the Neues Rathaus Town Hall, Thursday, May 29, 2025, ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Inter Milan fan Andrea Trebbi holds up a team scarf in front of the Neues Rathaus Town Hall, Thursday, May 29, 2025, ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Inter Milan's head coach Simone Inzaghi waves to supporters as Inter team arrive at their hotel ahead of Saturday's Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A soccer fan cools off on a fountain ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A policeman patrols in front of the Town Hall in Marienplatz, ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) PSG fans cheer in downtown ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Inter Milan fan Andrea Trebbi holds up a team scarf in front of the Neues Rathaus Town Hall, Thursday, May 29, 2025, ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in Munich, Germany. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) MUNICH (AP) — European club soccer reaches its crowning moment with the Champions League final in Munich on Saturday. This season's showpiece pits French champion Paris Saint-Germain against Italian runner-up Inter Milan, with the former striving for its first ever European Cup title, while Inter is going for its fourth. Success for PSG would make it the first French champion of Europe since bitter rival Marseille in 1993, and finally reward years of huge investment from its Qatari backers, who bought a majority stake in the club in 2011. Advertisement Inter faces the prospect of a trophyless season after seeing Napoli pip it to the Italian title. But Inter has shown it's a threat on the European stage with epic wins over Barcelona in the semifinals and Bayern Munich in the quarters. Here's your guide to the final. When is the Champions League final? — Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local time in Germany on Saturday. That's 3 p.m. ET or 1900 GMT. How to watch the final on TV? — In the U.S., on Paramount+. DAZN will show it in Canada. — Other countries are listed here. Players to look out for in the final — Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé have all left PSG but that doesn't mean there aren't players to watch. Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has starred for the team since joining from Napoli in January. Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembelé are chipping in the goals that Mbappé's no longer scoring, and the team has one of the world's best goalkeepers in Gianluigi Donnarumma, formerly of Milan. Advertisement — Inter counts on Argentina star Lautaro Martínez to lead the team with his captaincy and goals. Which stadium is hosting the final? — The match will take place in Bayern Munich's 75,000 capacity home stadium, known as Allianz Arena for sponsorship reasons since it opened in 2005, though UEFA refers to it as Munich Football Arena during its competitions. Key facts — PSG would become only the second French champion of Europe with a win. The closest it came so far was in 2020 when it lost in the final to Bayern after a restructured tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic. — Inter's success in 2010 ended its long wait since back-to-back wins in 1964 and '65. But it lost on its last appearance in the final, to Manchester City in 2023. This will be its seventh final altogether. It has won three and lost three so far. Advertisement — This will be the fifth European Cup final to be played in Munich. Each of the previous four produced a first-time winner: Nottingham Forest in 1979, Marseille in 1993, Borussia Dortmund in 1997, and Chelsea in 2012. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
All you need to know about Saturday's Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan
MUNICH (AP) — European club soccer reaches its crowning moment with the Champions League final in Munich on Saturday. This season's showpiece pits French champion Paris Saint-Germain against Italian runner-up Inter Milan, with the former striving for its first ever European Cup title, while Inter is going for its fourth. Success for PSG would make it the first French champion of Europe since bitter rival Marseille in 1993, and finally reward years of huge investment from its Qatari backers, who bought a majority stake in the club in 2011. Inter faces the prospect of a trophyless season after seeing Napoli pip it to the Italian title. But Inter has shown it's a threat on the European stage with epic wins over Barcelona in the semifinals and Bayern Munich in the quarters. Here's your guide to the final. When is the Champions League final? — Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local time in Germany on Saturday. That's 3 p.m. ET or 1900 GMT. How to watch the final on TV? — In the U.S., on Paramount+. DAZN will show it in Canada. — Other countries are listed here. Players to look out for in the final — Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé have all left PSG but that doesn't mean there aren't players to watch. Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has starred for the team since joining from Napoli in January. Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembelé are chipping in the goals that Mbappé's no longer scoring, and the team has one of the world's best goalkeepers in Gianluigi Donnarumma, formerly of Milan. — Inter counts on Argentina star Lautaro Martínez to lead the team with his captaincy and goals. Which stadium is hosting the final? — The match will take place in Bayern Munich's 75,000 capacity home stadium, known as Allianz Arena for sponsorship reasons since it opened in 2005, though UEFA refers to it as Munich Football Arena during its competitions. Key facts — PSG would become only the second French champion of Europe with a win. The closest it came so far was in 2020 when it lost in the final to Bayern after a restructured tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic. — Inter's success in 2010 ended its long wait since back-to-back wins in 1964 and '65. But it lost on its last appearance in the final, to Manchester City in 2023. This will be its seventh final altogether. It has won three and lost three so far. — This will be the fifth European Cup final to be played in Munich. Each of the previous four produced a first-time winner: Nottingham Forest in 1979, Marseille in 1993, Borussia Dortmund in 1997, and Chelsea in 2012. ___ AP soccer:
