Pork roll on a donut: NJ blasphemy or the blessing we needed? (Opinion)
Of all the food New Jersey is known for, pork roll is arguably the most precious. Yes, we have the best pizza in the country. But the rest of the country has heard of pizza. Granted they don’t know what good pizza is, but they’ve heard of it.
Same with deli meats, bagels, tomatoes (I’m looking at you with love, Jersey tomato), etc.
But pork roll? Most of the country will stare at you if you bring it up. They’ll have no idea what you’re even talking about.
So we know a few things about the preciousness of pork roll. We know pork roll egg and cheese is the way to go. We know in North Jersey they’re going to call it Taylor ham. We know to put salt, pepper and ketchup on it and we know to say it as one word, saltpepperketchup. We know it’s great on a roll and we know it’s great on a bagel.
But do we really know if it belongs on a donut?
Top That! Donuts of Rutherford has decreed that it does. In fact, they may just have boldly decided it’s preferable.
Now sure they still offer it on a traditional roll. But on the weekends you can order a pork roll sandwich made with not one but two vanilla cake donuts. Ever heard of a Luther burger? Luther Vandross was said to love a thick hamburger with two donuts as the bun. It’s like that.
While I have yet to try it, this New Jersey abomination cannot stand. This is pork roll, people. Something that ought to be on a state flag redesign. A food so popular in New Jersey that Trenton had not one but two competing pork roll festivals. A pork roll queen was even crowned.
So know your history and stay in your lane. How audacious that they would dare reinvent the wheel. Oh sure, you can wax poetic all you want about the intoxicating combination of sweet and salty, but you’ll never get me tempted.
That’s what I thought. Until I saw this.
O. M. G! This looks amazing. Now maybe this is just the food porn of it, the seductive lighting, the lack of plot and getting right to the steamy, salty action. I don’t know. But this really does look amazing.
So OK, maybe I’m curious. Apparently many are already hooked. It’s supposed to be selling big time at Top That! Donuts in Rutherford. And it’s already been a thing at their Point Pleasant location.
So is this going to sweep the state? Are we cashing in all our Jersey food cred for one curvy, sugary temptress in the form of a donut?
Top That! Donuts is at 8 Highland Cross in Rutherford. That’s a bit over an hour from my house. And they open at 7 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Hmm.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.
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