WAYNE, N.J. – Virginia-born congresswoman Mikie Sherrill set off a political and culinary firestorm this week after jokingly dismissing one of New Jersey’s most beloved breakfast staples, calling pork roll “gross” during a campaign interview during her donor trip to California.
“Who eats pork roll? Not me. I think that’s gross,” Mikie Sherrill said. “Nobody wants pork roll.”
Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor, is a lifelong Virginia native.
She was asked the age-old North Jersey versus South Jersey question: “Taylor ham or pork roll?” Her response was quick and firm. “Taylor ham,” she said. “Who eats pork roll? Not me. I think that’s gross. I don’t even know what it is.”
Jack Ciattarelli, her Republican opponent, responded to this article shortly after publishing, saying he’s all in on it, whether you call it Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.
“I do!” Ciattarelli said.
The comment instantly lit up social media feeds across the state, as New Jerseyans lined up along traditional regional divides to weigh in on the decades-old debate.
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North Jersey residents tend to use the brand name “Taylor ham,” while those in Central and South Jersey insist on “pork roll.” Both, of course, are the same processed meat product invented by Trenton businessman John Taylor in the 1850s.
Sherrill’s jab at pork roll could alienate voters south of I-195, where loyalty to the term runs deep. Supporters, however, brushed it off as good-natured local banter.