On the authenticity of Cheez Whiz

On Sunday, July 2, 2006, three Washington Post staff writers went "in search for a taste of the familiar," to find where in DC you could go to get authentic cuisine -- Po' Boys, Lobster Rolls and Cheese Steaks.

Having a firm appreciation of cheese steaks and a solid understanding of their history, I was particularly interested in where the cheese steak "expert" -- Joe Heim -- (a Philly native?) suggested to go in DC.

Joe panned Mario's, but I don't really care about that. I can guarantee Lefty wasn't on the grill when he got his Mario's Steak and Cheese.

He reserved his highest praise for a place called South Street Steaks in College Park, MD. He writes about how authentic they are . . . then writes, "the only flaw is that the default cheese for the steaks is cheez whiz, so if you want provolone or American instead, be sure to ask for it." (Emphasis mine)

Two thoughts:

(1) I've never had a cheese steak with cheez whiz. I've always gotten Provy Wit.
(2) Cheez Whiz as the default IS authentic! Says Holly of Hollyeats.com: "But the only authentic cheese steak is one cheesed with cheese whiz." But don't take Holly's word for it. Check the sign at Geno's:



And let's check in with Pat's King of Steaks (www.patskingofsteaks.com), founded by Pat Oliveri in 1930, and the undisputed creator of the cheese steak. Take a look at "The Original Pat's King of Steaks Philadelphia Cheese Steak Recipe": http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/recipe.htm

When listing the ingredients it says:

* 24 Oz. Thin sliced ribe eye or eye roll steak
* 6 Tablespoons of soya bean oil
* Cheese (we recommend cheez whiz) American or provolone works fine
* 4 Crusty Italian Rolls
* 1 Large spanish onion


I'm going to be suspicious of all of Joe Heim's articles in the future.

Cheez Whiz 1
Joe Heim 0

g.