The One About Sandwiches

Hello all, it is that time of the year again when my blog comes out of hibernation. I had a difficult time deciding on what to write about, but after much discussion with my wife, she helped guide me to talk about one of my favorite things. As simple as this favorite thing is, it has a profound history that surprises most. In this post, I will be talking about the dramatic, hilarious, and mysterious origin of the sandwich.

The most common knowledge about the history of the sandwich is often with the Earl of Sandwich. This is not a fictitious title, in fact, John Edward Hollister Montagu is the current and 11th Earl of Sandwich. Earl of Sandwiches are not known for their culinary skill but rather, as members of Britain’s House of Lords. In fact, the name of the food comes from the position and not the other way around. According to The Food Timeline, the 4th Earl of Sandwich was a notorious gambler. He was on a betting streak for nearly twenty-four hours and grew hungry. While I do not gamble, I can imagine that doing anything for twenty-four hours straight may make one hungry. John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, was gambling and needed a quick meal because he did not want to leave the game. He had his chef, the real inventor of the meal, make a quick snack comprised of two of his favorite foods, cold-cut meat, and bread. This allowed the Earl to not leave the table and enjoy his snack while playing a game of cards.

11th Earl of Sandwich

While the sandwich can be enjoyed during a variety of activities, there are a variety of different sandwiches in the United States. With this, I will go from region to region discussing various sandwiches in the U.S.

I will start with where I currently live-the South. BBQ is big here in the Carolinas, specifically pulled pork. Pulled Pork Sandwiches are a staple among the BBQ joints in North Carolina but brisket or burnt ends are another option for a BBQ sandwich. From this brief history, I know that the methods of curing or smoking meats came from African slaves that came over with the slave trade and even the indigenous people from the Caribbean Islands. Other viable options for the South could be fried bologna, fried chicken, or even a burger. For example, I know several fast food chains that operate on a burger or chicken sandwich basis that come from the South. Honorable mentions: Po Boys and Muffleletas from Louisiana.

For the East, which I would consider to be the states between the New England region and the South, there are two contenders. These two options are the Philly Cheese Steak and the Chopped Cheese. If you are unfamiliar with these, the Philly as most people call it, originates from Philadelphia while the latter comes from New York City. The Philly was created by a hot dog vendor who wanted another option for his customers. The Chopped Cheese is like a Philly but instead of using steak as a filler, one would use ground beef. Bodega cooks that I have watched make Chopped Cheese sandwiches typically use a pre-made beef patty and chop it up with peppers, onions, and seasoning. Unfortunately, there are just theories discussing the origin of this dish. Honorable mention: New Jersey Pork Rolls

For New England, anything related to crabs or lobsters. In Maine and even in parts of Massachusetts, Lobster Rolls are the most famous. According to The Caviar Bar, the Lobster Roll was invented in Connecticut after a salesman wanted a hot lobster dinner to go. So the owner of the diner decided to slap it on a bread roll and the salesman could eat on the go.

For the Midwest, the only sandwich that haunts my dreams is the Sloppy Joe. The origin of the Sloppy Joe is shrouded with debate whether or not it was founded in Iowa or Cuba. It consists of ground beef marinated with onions, tomatoes, and spices in tomato sauce. In Ohio, Sloppy Joes are often just referred to as “meat” and often put on random snacks. But to this day, one can acquire the worst school lunch thanks to a Sioux City chef named Joe.

For the Western states, this is a tossed bag. I know a lot of people consider some Western states to be an extension of the Midwest and even some Pacific Northwest states, but I wanted to give the region its own mention. One must think of a cowboy and the accessibility they had. A friend of mine mentioned that burritos are a big deal in Colorado. In a way, a burrito is its own category and more like a wrap. Some people consider wraps to be a sandwich and for the sake of filling this in, that’s what we’re going with! The burrito was invented in Northern Mexico by a taco vendor during one of Mexico’s many revolutions. They are convenient, mobile, and messy, but they taste great.

For our second to last region, we have the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in California with a strong burger culture. Burgers to me are one of my iconic comfort foods. Whenever I had the opportunity, I would go to a local burger joint and get cheesecake afterward or even get a strawberry milkshake from In-N-Out. Outside of the U.S., salmon is a popular meat for sandwiches or burgers. This is most likely from the abundance of Salmon in the Pacific Northwest. I am going to include Alaska in this because they also are known for salmon-related sandwiches.

Finally, I cannot leave out Hawaii. Honestly, one could slap some pineapple onto a burger and call it Hawaiian because of the abundance and popularity of this awesome fruit. It would be an injustice to just talk about Pineapple burgers, however. I had a friend in high school who lived in Hawaii and he loved Spam. After watching videos about Pacific culture and Hawaii, I learned that Spam is extremely popular. Fried spam sandwiches and even throwing Spam as a condiment are popular. According to Hormel, Spam became popular in Hawaii because of the American soldiers, sailors, and marines that were stationed on the island chain prior to and during World War Two. It became a cheap substitute for most modern meats.

This concludes our conversation about sandwiches. I hope you all enjoyed this. Please let me know if there are topics that you are interested in and let me know what your favorite sandwich is! Also, if I left out anyone’s favorites, let me know, I can only write so much!

Honorable mention: The Grilled Cheese, an American classic that is actually from England and France.