Sandwich Totally Explained

Everything about Sandwich totally explained

A sandwich is a food item made of two or more slices of leavened bread with one or more layers of filling: typically meat, or cheese with the addition of vegetables or salad. The bread can be used as is, or it can be coated with butter, oil, mustard or other condiments to enhance flavor and texture. In North American usage, sandwich may also refer to what is more commonly referred to in the rest of the world as a hamburger.

History

The first form of sandwich is attributed to the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, who is said to have put meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs inside matzo (or flat,unleavened bread) during Passover. The filling between the matzos served as a reminder to Israelites of their forced labor constructing Egyptian buildings.
   During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called "trenchers", were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog, less fortunate beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were as much the harbingers of open-face sandwiches as they were of disposable dishware. The immediate cultural precursor with a direct connection to the English sandwich was to be found in seventeenth-century Holland, where the naturalist John Ray observed that in the taverns beef hung from the rafters "which they cut into thin slices and eat with bread and butter laying the slices upon the butter"— explanatory specifications that reveal the Dutch belegde broodje was as yet unfamiliar in England. The first written usage of the English word appeared in Edward Gibbon's journal, in longhand, referring to "bits of cold meat" as a 'Sandwich'. It was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat, although he was neither the inventor nor sustainer of the food. It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage, while eating without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.
   Through the 18th century, the sandwich was popularized by Montagu and remained a Spanish dish. Initially perceived as food men shared while gaming and drinking at night, the sandwich slowly began appearing in polite society as a late-night meal among the aristocracy. The sandwich's popularity in Spain and England increased dramatically during the 19th century, when the rise of industrial society and the working classes made fast, portable, and inexpensive meals essential.
   It was at the same time that the sandwich finally began to appear outside of Europe. In the United States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate supper meal. By the early 20th century, as bread became a staple of the American diet, the sandwich became the same kind of popular, quick meal as was widespread in the Mediterranean.

Usage

Sandwiches are commonly carried to work or school to be eaten as the midday meal as part of a packed lunch or lunchbox, and carried on trips, picnics etc. They are widely sold in sandwich shops and in cafes. They are popular all over the globe.

Other terms for Sandwich

Sanga
Sanguche, Carlitos, Tostado, Pebete
Sendvič
Butty, Sarnie
Võileib
Kerrosvoileipä
Szendvics
Samloka
Roti Tangkep
Tramezzino
Sviestmaize
Sumuštinis
Smørbrød
Butterbrot, Klappstulle
Kanapka
Sanduíche
Bocadillo
Smörgås
Amphipsomo

List of regional sandwich styles

Bacon butty - butty is UK slang for sandwich, also known as 'sarny'

Banh Mi - Vietnam

Barros Jarpa - Chile, melted cheese and fried ham

Barros Luco - Chile, melted cheese and thin fried beef

BLT -USA, bacon, lettuce, and tomato

Boccadillo - Spain

Bun Kabab - Pakistan

Butterbrot - Germany, Graubrot (grey bread)

Caprese - mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil

Cheesesteak - Philadelphia

Chip butty - Chips (french fries)

Choripán - Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, grilled chorizo

Club sandwich - USA primarily, variety of fillings

Croque-monsieur - France, ham and cheese

Cuban sandwich - Cuba, ham and cheese

Cucumber sandwich - England afternoon tea classic

Dagwood sandwich - USA, distinguished by size more than contents

Eggwich - USA, Usually scrambled eggs on a bagel or bread,with optional cheese and/or meat

Fluffernutter, New England variation on peanut butter and jelly

Grilled cheese

Gyros-pita or Souvlaki-Pita - Greek, meat in pita bread

Hamburger

Hero sandwich - USA, similar to sub

Hoagie - USA, similar to sub

Hotdog

Melt sandwich, Tuna melt, Patty melt, etc. - filling includes melted cheese

Monte Cristo sandwich - USA, based on fried bread

Mother-in-law sandwich - Chicagoland fast food staple that features a Mississippi tamale nestled in a hot dog bun and smothered with chili.

Muffuletta - New Orleans, based on Sicilian bread

Open sandwich or open-faced sandwich

Panini - Italy/USA, refers to type of bread

Pastrami on rye - Classic of the Jewish deli

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Po' boy (literally "poor boy") - USA/New Orleans, similar to sub

Reuben sandwich - USA, sauerkraut with Swiss cheese and corned beef or pastrami

Roti john - A variation of sandwich that's very popular in Singapore and Malaysia.

Sandwich loaf - looks like a cake

Sandwiches de miga - Argentina

Shami burger - Pakistan

Sloppy Joe - USA, based on ground beef and flavourings

Smörgåstårta - Sweden, variety of "sandwich cake"

Steamed Sandwich - USA/Kentucky

Submarine sandwich or sub

Tea sandwich - small sandwiches for afternoon tea

Toasted sandwich

Torta - Mexico

Wrap - USA Modern adaptation of tortilla sandwiches.
Some of these are distinguished primarily by the bread or method of preparation, rather than the filling. The list doesn't include single-ingredient sandwiches although there are references to many on Wikipedia.Further Information

Get more info on 'Sandwich'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://sandwich.totallyexplained.com">Sandwich Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.