John Taylor Created Pork Roll in Trenton in 1856. Here’s Why North Jersey Still Calls It Taylor Ham

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Order a breakfast sandwich in Newark and you will ask for Taylor ham, egg, and cheese. Order the same sandwich in Trenton and you will ask for pork roll, egg, and cheese. The pork roll vs Taylor ham debate is one of New Jersey’s favorite arguments, and the short answer to why North Jersey says “Taylor ham” is that it was the product’s original name, before a federal food law forced a change in 1906.

According to Wikipedia’s history of the product, John Taylor of Trenton created his pork roll recipe in 1856 and originally sold it as “Taylor’s Prepared Ham.” After the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 set a new legal definition for “ham,” Taylor was required to rename it, and it was sold as “Taylor’s Pork Roll.” Food-labeling rules still require manufacturers to label it “pork roll,” but many people in northern New Jersey kept calling it by the brand name they knew.

So the name you use depends mostly on where you grew up. Here is the full story, the line that divides the state, and where to try it.

Why North Jersey Still Calls It Taylor Ham

The name split has three parts: the original name, the forced rename, and the way regional habits stuck.

• The original name: Taylor marketed the product as a kind of ham. “Taylor’s Prepared Ham” was the name on the package in its early decades.
• The legal change: The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 tightened definitions of food products. Taylor’s product, a processed mix of pork, salt, sugar, and spices, did not meet the new definition of ham, so the name had to change to “pork roll.”
• The habit: In North Jersey, where Taylor’s brand was widely sold, people kept using the brand name, the way some people call any tissue a Kleenex. In South Jersey and around Trenton, where competing brands were also common, “pork roll” became the everyday term.

The label on the package has said “pork roll” for more than a century. Restaurants, delis, and diners in North Jersey still write “Taylor ham” on their menus, even when the product comes from another company.

Where the Line Falls

The dividing line is not exact, but people have tried to map it. According to Wikipedia, a 2016 reader poll with more than 70,000 respondents from all 565 New Jersey municipalities found the line runs roughly:

• In the east: Along the border between Union and Middlesex counties.
• In the west: Along Interstate 78 through the middle of Somerset and Hunterdon counties.

A 2014 survey of restaurant menus found the divide a bit further south, around the Raritan River in Somerset and Middlesex counties, and found “Taylor ham” on menus in Monmouth County at the Shore, possibly because of North Jersey residents and tourists there. In practice, if you are north of New Brunswick, expect “Taylor ham.” Around Trenton, Princeton, and South Jersey, expect “pork roll.”

What Pork Roll Actually Is

Pork roll is a processed pork product, similar in some ways to Canadian bacon or bologna but with a saltier, tangier, slightly smoky flavor. It comes in a cylindrical log, traditionally packed in a cloth bag, and is sliced, then fried or grilled.

• Texture: Firm and slightly springy, crisp at the edges when fried.
• Flavor: Salty, a little sweet, with a mild tang.
• Packaging: Sold sliced in packages or as a whole roll in cloth.

When heated, slices curl into a cup shape. To keep them flat, cooks cut slits around the edge. Wikipedia describes two common styles: a single radial slit, called “Pac-Man style,” and four inward slits, called “fireman’s badge style.”

The Other Trenton Brand

Taylor was not the only pork roll maker. According to Wikipedia, George Washington Case, a farmer and butcher from nearby Belle Mead, created his own hickory-smoked pork roll recipe in 1870. Case’s product was reportedly packaged in corn husks. Today, Taylor and Case’s are the two best-known brands, and both are tied to Trenton. Many diners and delis serve one or the other, and loyalists argue about which is better almost as much as they argue about the name.

In 1910, Taylor sued a Brooklyn competitor for selling “Roll of Pork,” and the court ruled that “pork roll” could not be trademarked. That is part of why other companies can also sell “pork roll.”

The Sandwich

The most famous way to eat pork roll is the breakfast sandwich: fried pork roll, a fried or scrambled egg, and American cheese on a hard roll, bagel, or English muffin. In North Jersey, it is a “Taylor ham, egg, and cheese.” In South Jersey, it is a “pork roll, egg, and cheese.” Many people add “SPK,” for salt, pepper, and ketchup.

Other ways to eat it:

• On its own as a side with eggs and toast
• In a “Jersey Burger,” with pork roll in place of bacon
• In a BLT-style sandwich, sometimes called a PRLT or THLT
• In a pork roll Monte Cristo

The sandwich is so central to the state that, according to Wikipedia, Assemblyman Tim Eustace introduced two bills in 2016 to make it the official state sandwich, one using “pork roll” and one using “Taylor ham.” Neither bill made it out of committee. In 2023, Governor Phil Murphy jokingly declared the “Taylor Swift Ham, Egg, and Cheese” the state sandwich ahead of the singer’s concerts at MetLife Stadium.

Where to Try It in New Jersey

Almost every diner, deli, and bagel shop in New Jersey serves pork roll or Taylor ham. A few ways to find a good one:

• Diners: New Jersey is famous for its diners, and nearly all of them serve it at breakfast. Expect to pay about $6 to $10 for a sandwich and $10 to $16 for a platter with eggs and potatoes.
• Bagel shops: North Jersey bagel shops are a classic choice for Taylor ham, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel.
• Delis and corner stores: Many make the sandwich to order on a hard roll.
• Trenton: The product’s hometown, where you can try it near where it was invented.
• Minor league ballparks: According to Wikipedia, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws hold a Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese race during every home game, and pork roll sandwiches are a ballpark staple in the state.

Pork Roll Festivals and Contests

Trenton has hosted several pork roll festivals. According to Wikipedia, the first of six annual Pork Roll Festivals was held on May 24, 2014, and drew more than 4,000 visitors. In 2015, organizers split and held competing festivals, and a vegan pork roll festival ran the same day. The Trenton Thunder baseball team has held a Case’s Pork Roll eating championship since 2015, sanctioned by Major League Eating. Check local event listings for current festival dates, since they have changed over the years.

How to Cook It at Home

If you buy pork roll at a New Jersey grocery store or order it online, cooking it is easy.

• Slice: About a quarter inch thick if you have a whole roll. Remove the cloth casing.
• Cut slits: Make one or four cuts around the edge so it lies flat.
• Fry: Cook in a hot skillet for about two minutes per side, until browned and slightly crisp.
• Build the sandwich: Add a fried egg and a slice of American cheese on a toasted hard roll.

Pork roll is sold in many grocery stores in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and parts of New York and Delaware. Some brands ship nationwide.

How to Handle the Pork Roll vs Taylor Ham Debate as a Visitor

• Follow local usage: Use the word the menu uses. If the menu says “Taylor ham,” say “Taylor ham.”
• Do not insist: Locals take the name seriously, mostly in good fun.
• Ask questions: Asking someone what they call it is a fast way to start a conversation in New Jersey.
• Try both brands: Taylor and Case’s taste a little different.

A Pork Roll Road Trip

If you want to make a day of it, start in North Jersey with a Taylor ham, egg, and cheese at a diner in the morning, then drive south on the New Jersey Turnpike or Route 1 toward Trenton for a pork roll sandwich in the product’s hometown. Along the way, you will cross the unofficial line somewhere around New Brunswick. The trip from Newark to Trenton is about 55 miles and takes about an hour without traffic.

Common Questions

• Is pork roll the same as Taylor ham? Yes. Taylor ham is the North Jersey name for pork roll.
• Is it ham? Not legally. That is why the label says pork roll.

The Bottom Line

John Taylor created pork roll in Trenton in 1856 and sold it as “Taylor’s Prepared Ham.” The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 forced a name change to “pork roll,” which is still what the label says. North Jersey kept the old brand-based name, and South Jersey adopted the official one. The dividing line runs roughly through Middlesex and Somerset counties, and no matter what you call it, the sandwich is the same: fried pork roll, egg, and cheese on a roll.