Food & History: Sandwiches

John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792) is supposed to have invented the sandwich as a quick meal so as not to interrupt his gambling sessions. However some form of a sandwich was probably eaten before this time when more humans ate with their hands rather than using utensils. In fact there are some references in history where soldiers would wrap stew or food in a bun or piece of meat.
The ham sandwich is still the most popular sandwich in the United States, and in second place is the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato). It is estimated that Americans eat 300 million sandwiches each day - that's more than one for every man, woman and child in the nation!

A sandwich is a light snack prepared by placing different kinds of foods between two pieces of bread. The pieces of bread in a sandwich are referred to as slices or sheets of bread. Many people enjoy the sandwich as it is easy and quick to make in a hurry. Also, the sandwich can be easily eaten with one hand without utensils which allows consumers to have a hand free to do other things. Some people prefer to eat a sandwich with both hands.
Sandwiches are often given to children to eat at school. The sandwiches are put in a lunchbox and often wrapped in cling film to keep them fresh. Sandwiches make an excellent food for picnics. The sandwich very likely has mayonnaise spread on it instead of or in addition to butter.

Sandwich fillings

There are many types of filling that can be placed within a sandwich. These include:
Eggs (Egg Sandwich)

Ham (Ham Sandwich)

Ground Beef (Burger)

Cheese (Cheese Sandwich)

Chicken (Chicken Sandwich)

Cucumber (Cucumber Sandwich)

Sandwich Variations

A sandwich is not just limited to a filling between two pieces of bread. Sometimes the filling can be placed between more layers of bread. For instance, a double decker sandwich would consist of three slices of bread with two layers of fillings. The double decker sandwich is so called because each layer of bread forms a deck much like a double decker London Bus. A club sandwich is a double decker sandwich with chicken, bacon and salad. A triple decker sandwich would consist of four slices of bread with three layers of topping.
Another accepted sandwich variant is the toasted sandwich in which the bread bits of the sandwich are put into a toaster. Sometimes the warm bread will then heat the fillings or the filling is heated before being put into the sandwich.
Sandwiches can be made with different types of bread, and are often then called different names. A toasted sub, for example, is called a panini.

Sandwich Types

There are many different types of sandwich that can be enjoyed by people when eating. These include:
Cold sheets of bread Sandwich

Heated sheets of bread Toastie

A breaded bun Burger

Ciabatta Panini

A long bread Baguette

Sandwich Slang

There are a number of other words that can be used in the place of the term sandwich.
Sarney or Sarnie - England

Butty - England

Bap - England

Barmcake - Staffordshire, England

Brotwanger - Germany

Grainy Bread Trap - Tasmania

Malty Doorstep - New Zealand

Sanger - Australia

Le Sand - France

Sanduba - Brazil

Did you know?

The largest sandwich ever made was made by Wild Woody's Chill and Grill, Roseville, Michigan. It weighed 5,440 lbs.