Sandwich

A sandwich is a versatile food dish that uses bread as a container or a wrapper. Most commonly, it consists of various fillings like meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables placed between slices of bread. It can also be an open sandwich, where the filling sits atop a single slice. More broadly, any dish where bread serves to hold another food type can be considered a sandwich. This food has become a global staple because it is portable and convenient. It is often eaten as a quick lunch at school, work, or during picnics.

Creating a sandwich involves several layers of flavor and texture. Many people coat the bread with condiments like mayonnaise or mustard to enhance the eating experience. Some prefer the bread to be "dry," meaning it has no added spreads. While most sandwiches are savory, such as those made with deli meats, sweet versions also exist. Examples include jam sandwiches or the "fluffernutter." The structure can change depending on the bread used, ranging from sliced loaves to rolls or flatbreads.

Defining exactly what a sandwich is can be quite complicated. In the United States, government agencies like the USDA and FDA help manage these definitions. The USDA states a closed sandwich must contain at least 35% cooked meat and no more than 50% bread. For open sandwiches, the meat must make up at least 50% of the dish. Interestingly, the USDA labels burritos and fajitas as "sandwich-like." Meanwhile, frankfurters are classified as a "sandwich type," but stromboli is explicitly excluded from the category.

Different regions and legal systems have their own ways of categorizing these foods. In Britain, the British Sandwich Association defines it as any bread with a filling, generally served cold. This definition includes bagels and wraps but might exclude hot items like burgers. In Australia, a "steak sandwich" specifically uses sliced loaf bread to distinguish it from a burger. Legal debates have even reached courts. A 2006 Boston court ruled that burritos and tacos are not sandwiches because they use a single tortilla. However, a 2024 Indiana court disagreed, calling tacos and burritos "Mexican-style sandwiches."

The history of bread-wrapped food stretches back many centuries. In the first century BC, the Jewish sage Hillel the Elder is said to have wrapped meat and herbs in matzah, a flat, unleavened bread. During the Middle Ages in Europe, people used thick, stale slabs of bread called "trenchers" as plates. After meals, these food-soaked trenchers were often given to animals or beggars. In the 17th century, the Dutch practiced eating the "belegde broodje," an open-faced sandwich. This involved placing thin slices of beef upon bread with butter.

The modern sandwich is named after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. An 18th-century English aristocrat, he is famously linked to the dish through gambling. It is said he ordered roast beef between toasted bread during long sessions of the card game cribbage. This allowed him to eat without using a fork or getting his playing cards greasy. Whether he ate it at a gambling house or at his desk, the name stuck. By the 19th century, the sandwich became essential for the growing working class in industrial society.

Today, the sandwich is a massive global industry. In the 1920s, the invention of sliced bread made sandwiches even more accessible. By the 1970s, British stores like Marks & Spencer began selling pre-made, chilled sandwiches in sealed boxes. This innovation helped the British sandwich industry grow to a value of £8 billion by 2017. The term "sandwich" even extends to other areas, such as "sandwich biscuits" like Oreos, which feature a filling between two layers. From street food to high-end gastronomy, the sandwich remains a fundamental part of how humans eat.