A sandwich is a food item consisting of one or more
types of food placed on or between slices of bread,
or more generally any dish wherein two or more
pieces of bread serve as a container or wrapper for
some other food. The sandwich was originally a
portable food item or finger food which began its
popularity primarily in the Western World, but is
now found in various versions in numerous countries
worldwide.
Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food,
typically taken to work, school, or picnics to be
eaten as part of a packed lunch. The bread can be
used plain, or it can be coated with one or more
condiments to enhance the flavors and texture. As
well as being homemade, sandwiches are also widely
sold in restaurants and cafes, and are sometimes
served hot as well as cold. |
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The sandwich is considered to be the namesake of John
Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, because of the claim that he
was the eponymous inventor of this food combination. The Wall
Street Journal has described it as Britain's "biggest
contribution to gastronomy".
Salmon and cream cheese sandwiches on pieces of baguette
English sandwiches, crustless on a plate
Sandwich with fried egg, tomato and cucumber
Olive and red tomato sandwich
The modern concept of a sandwich using slices of bread (as
found within the Western World) can arguably be traced to
18th century Europe. However, the use of some kind of bread
or bread-like substance to lie under (or under and over)
some other food, or used to scoop up and enclose or wrap
some other type of food, long predates the 18th century, and
is found in numerous much older cultures worldwide.
Flat breads of only slightly varying kinds have long been
used to scoop or wrap small amounts of food en route from
platter to mouth throughout Western Asia and northern
Africa. From Morocco to Ethiopia to India, bread is baked in
flat rounds, contrasting with the European loaf tradition.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, 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 or to beggars at the tables of the wealthy, and eaten by
diners in more modest circumstances. The immediate culinary
precursor with a direct connection to the English sandwich
was to be found in the Netherlands of the 17th century,
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, open-faced sandwich, was as yet unfamiliar
in England.
Initially perceived as food that 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 European-stye sandwich
finally began to appear outside of Europe. In the United
States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate meal
at supper. 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 already widespread in the
Mediterranean. |
