Oh yes. I'm from SW PA, right on the border of WV so they're very popular here.
Just off the top of my head without looking it up, I think they were invented by Italian immigrants who were working in the coal mines and needed something easy to carry and eat.
They are little bits of heaven....spicy bites of cured meat baked into a warm, doughy bread. The ones with cheddar AND pepperoni are exceptionally delicious.
I first tried them in Deep Creek Lake, MD, which is not too far from WV.
All my in-laws live in and near WV and I discovered the pepperoni roll when I met DH. They are awesome on a cold winter day. I like to pop them into the microwave for 30 seconds. The cheese melts just right and they're so good.
When in Central FL, we went to a pizza place and saw they had them on the menu. I asked the owner (NY native) if they were like the ones that originated in WV. I was told they don't come from WV and his were made the right way. We bought some and it was a large mound of pepperoni, some mozzarella and hardly any bread. Ick! They were so messy.
Give me WV rolls any day! My in-laws are mailing a shirt to us this week. I told my MIL to slip some rolls in the box for extra padding.....
I'm from Jersey and they are popular here too. We have the variety with cheese also or just plain straight pepperoni-
Boy those are good but oh so bad for me with all the salt.
another upstate NYer here - and they were a staple in the college town I went to. The pizza place that served them was the place to be after a night out at the bars!!!!
The one thing about pepperoni rolls in WV is that they are EVERYWHERE. You find them sitting in the grocery stores on special stands, at every convenience store and even in bulk at Sam's Club. There are all kinds of brands, too! I'm not crazy about the one that Giant Eagle carries but the ones at Sam's are pretty good.
I voted "no" but then as I read the description and how they are made, I remember having them in college. Sadly, that's the first and last time I ever saw them here in Oklahoma and now I'm craving one.
another upstate NYer here - and they were a staple in the college town I went to. The pizza place that served them was the place to be after a night out at the bars!!!!
I knew it! Yup they are still there! I graduated from Potsdam in '84. Took my DD to interview at CLarkson and St. Lawrence this summer and had a pizza roll for dinner at Sergi's! They are just as good as I remember. St. Lawrence is her first choice for college....The price tag is very high...but I would get 4 more years of Sergi's pizza rolls! Hmm...maybe it is worth it.
My family lived in WV for awhile when I was a kid. My mom was a teacher there and got hooked on pepperoni rolls when the school cafeteria would serve them to the students for lunch!
Now she makes them several times a year. I just made my first batch of them a few days ago.
My brother in law has a breakfast/lunch restaurant and he makes chourico rolls fresh every morning. They are so yummy that he usually sells out of them. I like mine with chourico, cheese and onions.