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Sandwich

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Revision as of 18:02, 10 May 2007 by 209.33.198.237 (talk) (→Origin)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the food item. For other uses, see Sandwich (disambiguation).
An Italian sandwich.

A sandwich is a food item typically consisting of two pieces of leavened bread between which are laid one or more layers of meat, vegetable, cheese, jam, together with optional or traditionally provided condiments, sauces, and other accompaniments. The bread can be used as is, lightly buttered, or covered in a flavored oil to enhance flavor and texture. It is named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich.

Sandwiches are commonly carried to work or school in lunchboxes or brown paper bags (in sandwich bags) to be eaten as the midday meal, taken on picnics, hiking trips, or other outings. In some parts of the world, they are also served in many restaurants as entrées, and are sometimes eaten at home, either as a quick meal or as part of a larger meal. When eaten as part of a full meal sandwiches are traditionally accompanied with such side dishes as a serving of soup (soup-and-sandwich), a salad (salad-and-sandwich), french fries/chips, potato chips/crisps and a pickle or coleslaw. A new trend appearing is making sandwiches into wraps, in which a tortilla is substituted for the bread. According to a recent court ruling in the United States, a sandwich must have two slices of bread and not one tortilla

Origin

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 bread) during Passover. The filling between the matzos served as a reminder to Israelites of their forced labor constructing Egyptian buildings. For this reason, Romans referred to the meal as a "cibus Hilleli," or Hillel's Snack. During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse 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 the harbingers of open-face sandwiches. Cassie likes sandwiches. Nate thinks they are made with tortillas.

The first written usage of the word 'sandwich' appeared in Edward Gibbon's journal, in longhand, referring to "bits of cold meat" as a 'Sandwich.' It was named after the 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 sticky from eating meat with his bare hands. An alternative theory suggests he may have spent long hours at his desk working and therefore wanted a sandwich, also to eat with his bare hands (see External links).

The Earldom refers to the English town of Sandwich in Kent — from the Old English Sandwic, meaning "sand place".

Examples

Sandwiches vary greatly both in their style—how they are put together—and in their fillings. Not every style is used with every filling.

Sandwich styles

Notes

  1. Arguments spread thick, Is a burrito a sandwich?. November 10, 2006.
  2. And so we find in a fragment of Varro, preserved by Nonnius, that "cibus Hilleli est illa caesna quo panis sive caseum sive carnem sepit buturoque saepe operitur."
  3. What's Cooking America, Sandwiches, History of Sandwiches. February 2, 2007.

External links

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