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Spuckie

Sometimes, spukie. What some Bostonians still call a sub or hero (there's even a sub shop in Dorchester called Spukies 'n Pizza). Some people refuse to believe it's real, but it must be, because the Middlesex News wrote about it in 1993. From spucadella, a type of Italian sandwich roll you can still buy at some of the bakeries in the North End and Somerville.

David Keene reports: " 'Spuckie' is indeed a Boston word. It is not used much anymore, the older Italians used it. Growing up in Chelsea we alway bought 'spuckies' at Gallo's market. My wife bought spuckies at the Italian stores in Eastie when she was a kid. The word is not used much anymore, because there are so few of us that know what it means." Richard Karasik, meanwhile, recalls that "Santarpio's pizza parlor (in Eastie) was the center of spuckie heaven."

Comments

Spuckies threw me the first time my Roxbury wife asked me to pick up some spuckies at the local store. I was too embarrassed to ask the guy where he kept his spuckies...Frappe was wicked natural, but she also mentioned something called Orange Jade, some kind of tonic.

Doug Young on November 1, 2004 06:10 PM.

The word "spuckie" originated in South Boston down at the STATUES in the Old Harbor Housing Project. These sandwiches were sold at John's Spuckie Joint on Old Colony Ave. John sold 16 oz. bottles of Orange Ade ( Nehi Orange Cola ) and 16 oz. bottles of RC Cola.

Joe Mosquito on January 31, 2005 09:18 AM.

Hi, I remember spuckies too, but for some reason, I associated them with the North End of Boston. (Italian neighborhood.)
And in Rhode Island a GRINDER, aka GRINDA, is the same as a hero, or spuckie, or sub sandwich. I have no idea how it got it's name. Also, do you know that a CABINET, in Rhode Island, is the equivalent of a frappe in Boston, or a milkshake in much of the rest of the US. (In Boston, a frappe(pronounced frap, not frap-pay) included ice cream, a milkshake was just milk and a flavoring agent, like coffee syrup.)(By the way, I believe that Rhode Island is the biggest consumer of coffee syrups, like Eclipse. I beleive there were/are a couple of other brands too....?Zarex, or was that just fruit syrups?)

Nancy Karasik Masek on August 5, 2006 11:40 AM.

I grew up in South Boston and only knew "subs" as spuckies. We moved to California in the early 70's and that's the last I heard of the word. Took me a while to figure out what Sub were.

After reading these posts and the 1993 article I can show my wife I am not crazy or laying on the Irish Blarney...

Patrick O'Rourke on March 17, 2007 01:56 PM.

I grew up in SE Mass (part Boston, part RI). The only coffee syrup I officially recognize is Autocrat. When people grow up here, move elsewhere and come back to visit, Autocrat is the stuff they buy to take back home with them.

They also pick up some Portuguese sweet bread, Fall River chow mein and maybe some chourico (shur-eesh) or linguica.

All I knew were grinders until I moved out of the area.

Bert on June 11, 2007 01:51 PM.

Sal's in Codman Sq.and Joey's at Ashmont Station made the best Spukies in Dorchester.

the dot rat on July 19, 2007 08:50 PM.

Back in the seventies, I worked in a warehouse in South Boston. We used to take our breaks in fast paced little neighborhood diner where the orders were announced to the kitchen via microphone. This is where I first heard the term "spuckie." In the jargon of this establishment, they would also indicate "rhe new way" or "the old way" as in "Ham and Cheese Spuckie, the old way!" I'm not sure, but I think one meant with oil, while the other meant with mayo. They also frequenty, hollared "Make it!" as kind of a shorthand for make it two.

While growing up in the Berkshires, we always called them grinders or submarine sandwiches never spuckies.

Dennis Daly on December 4, 2007 07:02 PM.

Used to get spuckies at Santoro's bakery in East Cambridge. They were excellent for italian sausage with peppers and onions, linguica hot off the grill or your favorite coldcuts.

freezinak on December 17, 2007 06:18 PM.

My mom and aunt (ahnt) always talk fondly about spuckies from their childhood. They grew up in East Boston (they were the only non-Italians in the neighborhood) on Brooks Street. They say the spuckies are the bread that you make a grinder on, not the sandwich itself. According to them, they were the best rolls eva!

Jessica Bowen on March 26, 2008 09:37 PM.

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