Food - Drink
BPT: The Fried Midwestern Sandwich That’s Too Big For Its Bun
By MEGGAN ROBINSON
The United States is a melting pot of people, and the same can be said of our food. Take, for instance, the Austrian dish, weiner schnitzel, which after being transplanted to the United States became chicken fried steak in Texas, and the truly unique BPT, or breaded pork tenderloin, in the Midwest.
The BPT was invented by Nick Freienstein back in 1904 as a riff on weiner schnitzel, but instead of using the veal that weiner schnitzel calls for, Freienstein could only get his hands on pork tenderloin. He pounded out the pork tenderloin, breaded and fried it, and then added pickles and onions before slapping the concoction on a sandwich roll.
Freienstein’s monster sandwich took on a life of its own, and by 1908 Freienstein founded Nick’s Kitchen, which still operates in its original location today. In true midwestern fashion, the BPT is known for its out-of-whack proportions, and the Des Moines Register has likened the bun atop the massive tenderloin to “a beret on an elephant.”