The original location where the pepperoni roll was invented is on Robinson Street, Fairmont. The store was opened up and the
snack was invented by immigrant baker Giuseppe Argiro some time around the 1910s or 1930s. The rolls originated as a lunch option for West Virginia
coal miners in the first half of the twentieth century. A large number of Italian immigrants moved to
North Central West Virginia looking for work in
coal mining jobs. The pepperoni roll was a convenient snack that did not spoil for the workers to eat. The pepperoni roll bears a resemblance to the
pasty and
sausage roll, which originated in the mining communities of
Great Britain, as well as to the Italian
calzone. These foods and the pepperoni shared a similar purpose; they allowed a miner on a break from a tiring and dirty job to eat a full meal with less problem. ==References==