Camel rider

The camel rider is a cold-cut sandwich on pita bread: ham, salami and mortadella, with the usual sandwich accompaniments such as cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion, and an Italian-style vinaigrette of vinegar and olive oil. Jacksonville’s official tourism presents it as the city’s signature sandwich, and it is sold at dozens of snack bars, delicatessens and grocery stores.

The sandwich was born in the city’s Arab community. Syrian and Lebanese immigrants began arriving in Jacksonville in the 1890s, and the city has one of the largest Arab-American communities in the United States. Many families opened grocery stores, bakeries and lunch counters, and pita came to be baked locally.

The origin is disputed. The most cited version credits Lebanese baker Joe Assi, who in the early 1960s sold a cold-cut sandwich on pita at his restaurant, which he called the desert rider. Other sources connect the camel rider to a chain of Arab lunch counters in the city, with dates ranging from 1965 to the early 1970s. By the mid-1970s, the sandwich had spread across Jacksonville.

The name camel rider likely came from a derogatory nickname for Arab immigrants. Over time it was adopted by merchants and customers themselves, though some places prefer the names desert rider or simply rider. From that base came variations such as the steak-in-a-sack, with meat, and versions with shrimp or only vegetables.

It’s a quick hand-held lunch, popular with people at work. The classic pairing is the sandwich with a portion of tabbouleh and a cherry limeade.