Buffalo, NY has a lot of proud traditions: jumping through tables at Bills football tailgates, Dyngus Day Polish celebrations, and, of course, Buffalo wings. With so much attention put on wings, it's not surprising that what gets overlooked in the rest of country is weck. Well, beef on weck, to be exact. You might have already guessed that the beef is roast beef, ideally cooked rare, sliced thin, and dunked in its own simmered juices. But what exactly is the weck?
It's actually short for kummelweck, which is the type of roll the beef is served up on. It's basically a kaiser roll, but it gets a little seasoning upgrade with flecks of kosher salt and caraway seeds. This might be obvious to German speakers, as that's literally its name. In German, "weck" translates to "roll" and "kummel" to "caraway." In fact, the weck is what distinguishes the sandwich from a regular French dip -- it's all about the roll, which, in addition to its seasoning, must have an outer crunch and an inner softness. Depending on where you get your beef on weck from, the top bun might be moistened with a quick dunk in the jus tank, but it's always served up with a smear of spicy, pungent horseradish sauce, which gives it a nice bite.