"Eleven local sandwich shops gathered in Portland’s Monument Square late morning Thursday to build what may be the unofficial World’s Largest Maine Italian Sandwich – 160 feet from end to end," The Portland Press Herald said.

"Collectively, it took the sandwich makers about 25 minutes to build it, said Gillian Britt, one of the owner/producers of Portland’s Harvest on the Harbor festival, adding “it was devoured in far less time than it took to make it.”

"“Maine Italians are an institution. This event celebrated all Maine Italians in one huge, long, fun sandwich,” Britt said. “It went from the end of Monument Square, that funny road that curves around that no one can remember the name of, all the way over past the public market entrance. We thought at one point we might run out of Monument Square.”

"Sandwich makers were A&C Grocery, Anania’s, Broadway Variety, Corsetti’s, Deb’s, DiPietro’s, Leavitt & Sons; Old Port Sandwich Shop, Otherside Delicatessen, Pat’s Meat Deli and Sisters Gourmet Deli. No Amato’s, though, which claims to have invented the sandwich in 1902."

"10 sandwich shops in Maine broke a world record for the largest Italian sandwich! 150 feet of bread and all the fixings done right in Monument Square in Portland. The only fear...the weather - which cooperated!" the WBLM says.

"No...there are no leftovers. But imagine just how delicious it was. Think you could have eaten the whole thing by yourself?"

"This isn't a record for the largest italian sandwich; firstly, Guinness (of the Guinness Book of World Records) is absent, so none of this is official anyway... but if they were here I would hope they'd point out that this is merely the most italian sandwiches laid end to end on a table. They're separate loaves of bread, hence: separate sandwiches," the WJBQ said.



"I don't care how much overlap of inside contents there is or if they were all made in one motion from end to end. In the case of other Guinness Record sandwiches, each one is crafted to resemble a regular-sized sandwich, then blown to colossal proportions. The world's largest hamburger is not a hundred hamburgers with overlapping patties laid next to each other in the shape of a circle; no - it's a big-ass single burger!

"Don't get me wrong; I love the collaboration of sandwich shops and the free Monument Square lunch for the citizens of Portland... but if the attempt is made again in front of seasoned Guinness judges, I just hope they retitle the record they're attempting to break or rethink the crafting of their (SINGLE) loaf!"

"Local sandwich shops teamed up together, to create the world's largest "Maine Italian." Each business was responsible for making 16 sandwiches, which lined together, equaled a 150-foot giant sandwich," the WGME says.

"CBS 13 Meteorologist Adam Epstein watched the entire event, which is posted on our Facebook page.

"The event was held as a kickoff to the opening celebration of Harvest on the Harbor, which is about a month away. Leftovers went to Preble Street Resource Center."

"One of the advantages of living in Maine’s largest city is that you have such a wide number of choices of places to get an Italian sandwich, Portland’s unsung contribution to the gastronomic world. There is nothing like a Maine Italian sandwich elsewhere in the country," the New England says.

"Invented in Portland (local lore has it) in 1899 by an Italian baker named Giovanni Amato as a portable and inexpensive lunch for road construction workers, the Italian sandwich has become a staple of every corner variety store and takeout sandwich shop.

"If you ‘re casual about Italian sandwiches or loyal to local businesses, you might easily gravitate to the place nearest to wherever you live or work. Connoisseurs, though, are more than willing to drive across town."

"Other regions have heroes, Dagwoods, cheesesteaks, grinders and po’ boys. But the Italian sandwich is king in Maine. And on Thursday, more than a half-dozen sandwich shops intend to create what’s billed as the World’s Largest Maine Italian Sandwich.

"At least eight sandwich shops are constructing segments that will be assembled into a 144-foot-long sandwich in Portland’s Monument Square," the AP says.

"As the story goes, the Italian was invented in Portland by Giovanni Amato, who began selling sandwiches by pushcart after opening a bakery in 1902. The event is aimed at promoting the Harvest on the Harbor food festival next month. Organizer Jim Britt said details of the sandwich feat will be sent to Guinness World Records, which will consider creating a new category for Maine’s sandwich."

"About 10 Portland-area sandwich shops were each responsible for about 16 feet of sandwich Thursday in Portland's Monument Square and they together created a 160-foot "Maine Italian" sandwich, complete with meats, cheeses and vegetables," the UPI says.

"Organizers said they consulted with Guinness World Records and discovered the institution does not yet have a category for longest Maine Italian sub, so they considered this year's sandwich to be a "trial run" for an official Guinness attempt next year.

The sandwich event was timed to celebrate the Harvest on the Harbor culinary festival, which begins next month. Most of the sandwich was quickly devoured by waiting spectators, with some of the sub being donated to a local shelter."

"If you're a fan of the iconic Maine Italian sandwich make sure you are in Monument Square this Thursday as sandwich makers from at least 8 different local sandwich shops will get together beginning at 11am. Each shop participating will then begin to build their own 16 foot Maine Italian, combining them all to make a sandwich that is 144 feet long. Then it's our turn to dig in!

"The sandwich shops that are showing up are A&C Grocery, Anania’s, Deb’s, DiPietro’s, Old Port Sandwich Shop, The Otherside Delicatessen, Pat’s and Sister’s Gourmet Deli. Botto’s Bakery will be supplying the rolls for the sandwiches. They're doing this to bring attention to the Harvest on the Harbor food festival, "Different Roads" which will show how Maine food has been influenced by immigration over time. The event is happening October 18th from 6:30 to 8:30," the WCYY said.

"This isn't the first time Maine has made a gigantic sandwich. Back in 2009 a 70 foot Lobster Roll was made during the Old Port Fest. Even though the Guinness Book of World Records refused to recognize it as the World’s Longest Lobster Roll because the lobster roll was too “provincial” for their record books, Mainers know that it was indeed the largest lobster roll ever made."

"Maine's Italian sandwich, sometimes referred to as the Maine Italian sandwich, is an American submarine sandwich in Italian-American cuisine prepared on a long bread roll or bun with meats, cheese and various vegetables. The Maine Italian sandwich was supposedly invented in Portland, Maine.

"In Maine, the traditional Italian sandwich is prepared using a long bread roll or bun with meats such as ham along with American or provolone cheese, tomato, onion, green bell pepper, Greek olives, olive oil or salad oil, salt and cracked black pepper. Ham is the default meat unless another is specified, so ordering a "Ham Italian" is considered redundant. The sandwich is often cut in half to make it easier to handle.

"Giovanni Amato, a grocer in Portland, Maine claims to have invented the "Italian sandwich". While selling his bread on his street cart, Amato received requests from dockworkers to slice his long bread rolls and add sliced meat, cheese and vegetables to them. Amato later opened a sandwich shop named Amato's, and today the sandwich continues to be prepared by Amato's sandwich shops. The Amato's version is traditionally prepared using fresh-baked bread, ham, American cheese, slices of tomato, onions, green pepper and sour pickle, Kalamata olives and salad oil." (Wikipedia)