Who Invented the Sandwich?

One of the highly popular types of food, the sandwich is known for its enticing taste and yummy ingredients. More importantly, it makes eating a more convenient experience because people can bring it easily almost anywhere they want. It is sold widely in cafes and restaurants all over the world. Aside from these important things, it is good to know other interesting details about this particular type of food including who invented the sandwich.

 

The Invention of the Sandwich

Who invented the sandwich? If we are to look back at history, you can trace the roots of the sandwich back to the Netherlands. In the 17th century, the Dutch people were reportedly preparing slices of beef and butter together with bread. This early form is connected directly to what is known today as the English sandwich. At first, it was considered food that people share while drinking and gaming particularly at night. Slowly, it became part of more polite society.

Additional Facts and Other Important Information

In the 19th century, the popularity of the sandwich experienced a dramatic increase in England and Spain. During that time, people were looking for inexpensive, portable and fast meals to meet the demands of a faster-paced life associated with an industrialized environment. In the 20th century, it became part of the diet of Americans. At the same time, this type of food became popular in the Mediterranean area. Based on historical accounts, the sandwich got its name from the fourth Earl of Sandwich John Montagu. He was an English aristocrat from the 18th century.

 

Open-faced sandwich refers to a food made out of one slice of bread topped with salad vegetables, meat and different kinds of condiments. It is different from the traditional form of sandwich, which is basically made up of two slices of bread with filling. Although they share a number of common traits and qualities, some types of food are not considered sandwiches. These include quesadillas, tacos as well as burritos.

In the northern parts of the United Kingdom, people use the term ‘butty’ more than ‘sandwich.’ These include variations such as sausage butty, bacon butty and chip butty. On the other hand, the southern parts of the United Kingdom prefer to use the term ‘sarnie.’

Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is one of the highly successful restaurant chains today worldwide, started to serve sandwiches as part of its menu in September 2009. This type of food can be prepared using different styles depending on the place where it is to be served. For instance, the sandwich in Pakistan is served as bun kabab, in Brazil as bauru and in Argentina as choripan. Other notable sandwich styles are croque-monsieur in France, chivito in Uruguay and butterbrot in Germany.