Sandwich
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This article is about the food item. For other uses see: sandwich (disambiguation).
The sandwich is a food item typically consisting of two slices of bread between which are laid one or more layers of meat, cheese, or other filling, together with optional condiments, sauces, and other accompaniments. The bread is often lightly buttered or covered in a flavored oil when it is baked, or added in the sandwich to enhance flavor.
The term "sandwich" has been expanded—especially in the United States—to include items made with other "breads" such as tortilla, rolls and focaccia. Thus hamburgers and "subs", for example, are called "sandwiches" in the United States, although not in most English-speaking countries (since they are not made with slices of bread from a loaf).
The nearest Scandinavian equivalent traditionally takes the form of a single slice of bread with a meat, fish, cheese, etc. topping—what is generally known elsewhere as an "open sandwich".
Many sandwich producers are known for their criminal obsession of putting condiments and other, less than solid, ingredients in their sandwiches, like mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard . This turns the (usually pleasant) experience of eating a sandwich into a messy torture that the Inquisition would be more than proud of. Sliced tomato also fits in this category of ingredients that should be prohibited by international law from inclusion into a sandwich, however some disagree that in this case the offender should be viewed with some sympathy as tomato slices are easily discarded from the sandwich before eating, where condiments and sauces are not.
The sandwich was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat, although it is unlikely to have been invented by him. It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue gambling while eating. The name of the earldom comes from that of the English village of Sandwich in Kent—from the Old English Sandwic, meaning "sand place".
Nowadays some types of sandwich are too unwieldy to be held in one hand, thus defeating Montagu's original purpose, and must be eaten with a knife and fork, or at least with both hands. In some countries it is considered proper always to use cutlery to eat sandwiches.
Sandwiches are commonly carried to work or school in lunchboxes to serve as the midday meal, taken on picnics, hiking trips, etc.
In India, sandwiches are mostly vegetarian, the most common type being the vegetable sandwich.
In the UK, particularly in the north of England they are known, informally, as 'butties'. This is particularly the case with sandwiches including freshly-cooked bacon and butter, though other forms of 'buttie' use other ingredients and mayonnaise. A sandwich filled with chips (US: french fries) is known as a 'chip buttie' (also butty). In French countries you might see this referred to as un Belge: a Belgian (sandwich). Another informal English name is 'sarnie'. In Scotland, sandwiches are called "pieces". One Australian slang term for sandwich is "sanger". In South Africa sandwiches are sometimes called "sarmies".
According to the Washington Post, the USA sandwich business was worth $105 billion US in sales in 2003, with a 6% annual growth.
British Sandwich Week, organised by the British Sandwich Association which represents the UK sandwich industry, occurs on the week beginning on the second Sunday of May.
The sandwich theorem, frequently used in calculus and real analysis, states that if a real-valued function (the filling) lies everywhere between two other real-valued functions (the bread) which both converge to the same limit, then the "middle function" also converges to that limit.
The ham sandwich theorem can be used to prove mathematically that a single cut can divide two pieces of bread and the filling each exactly in half.
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Examples
Sandwiches vary both in their style—how they are put together—and their fillings. Not every style can be used with every filling.
Sandwich styles
- Aram sandwich
- Filled baguette
- Bun
- Burger
- Burrito
- Club sandwich
- Grilled cheese
- Döner kebab
- Georgia Hots
- Melt sandwich: Tuna melt, etc.
- Open sandwich, also known as "open face sandwiches": Popular in several parts of Europe
Fillings
- Bacon sandwich
- Banh Mi, Vietnamese sandwich
- Barbecue -shredded meat in BBQ sauce
- BLT sandwich (Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato)
- Cheese (often served with pickle)
- Cheesesteak
- Chicken
- Coronation chicken
- Crab
- Croque Madame
- Croque Monsieur
- Cuban sandwich
- Cucumber sandwich
- Egg sandwich fried, scrambled, egg salad
- Fluffernutter: Peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff
- French Dip sandwich and Italian beef sandwich
- Grilled cheese
- Gyros
- Ham
- Ham and cheese
- Hamburger or other ground meat patties, e.g.:
- Big Mac of McDonald's
- Whopper of Burger King
- Hot dog or other sausages
- Jam sandwich
- Monte Cristo sandwich
- Muffuletta
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- Nutella
- Pork
- Reuben
- Roast beef
- Shrimp
- Shawarma
- SPAM - fried, with mayo or Miracle Whip
- Steak
- Tuna and Mayonnaise often with added Sweetcorn
- Vegemite sandwich
- Vegetable sandwich
External links
- History of Sandwiches (http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/SandwichHistory.htm)
Sandwich Lover's Club (http://jdsaenz1.tripod.com/index.html) da:Sandwich de:Sandwich (Brot) eo:Sandvicxo fr:Sandwich nl:Sandwich no:Sandwich ja:サンドイッチ pl:Kanapka sl:sendvič sv:Smörgås zh:三明治