As It Turns Out, French Dip Sandwiches Aren't Actually French
It's easy to assume French dip sandwiches are, well, French. There's the obvious fact that the word French is right there in the name, but the sandwich is also something you might imagine would be served at a bistro in Paris, mainly because the combination of ingredients are quintessentially French. Elevating straightforward flavors is a hallmark of French cuisine, and French dip sandwiches fit the bill. They're made with only four components — a baguette or French roll, roast beef, provolone cheese, and a light gravy referred to as au jus, which translates to "with juice" in French.
Despite its similarities with French food, and the fact that the name of the dipping sauce is derived from French, French dip sandwiches are largely unheard of in France. You'd have better luck finding them at a sandwich shop in the U.S. or even your local Arby's because as it turns out, French dip sandwiches are an American classic.
French dip sandwiches originated in Los Angeles
While we don't know for sure who invented the French dip sandwich, we know that Los Angeles was its birthplace. Two restaurants, Philippe the Original and Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet each claim to have invented the French dip sandwich, and both are located in Los Angeles. Both also agree that it was invented by request of a customer.
"One day a customer saw some gravy in the bottom of a large pan of roast meat," Philippe Mathieu, the founder of Philippe the Original told the Los Angeles Times in 1951. "He asked me if I would mind dipping one side of the French roll in that gravy. I did, and right away five or six others wanted the same."
Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet instead credits a customer who requested the bread be softened with gravy to make it easier for him to chew after a visit to the dentist. Cole's claims this occurred in 1908, and while Philippe's was technically open for business that year, it apparently wasn't until 1918 that it served its first French dip sandwich.
Why are they called French dip sandwiches?
"Los Angeles dip" or "West Coast dip" might seem like a more fitting name for a sandwich invented in California, but the "French" in the name has nothing to do with where it originated. Cole's says that Jack Garlinghouse, who was a chef at Cole's when the sandwich was invented, came up with the name, and decided to call it a French dip because it was made with a French roll.
Like Cole's, Philippe's original French dip sandwich was also made on a French roll, but Mathieu's grandson Philippe Guilhem told the Los Angeles Times that it was named for a different reason. His grandfather's restaurant was nicknamed "Frenchy's" by regulars, likely because the restaurant was located in Frenchtown, and because Mathieu was a French immigrant. Naming the signature sandwich a French dip was only fitting, Guilhem said. There's no way to tell whose origin story is true, but one thing's for sure either way — the French dip sandwich doesn't come from France.