National Sandwich Day in the USA (03/11)

Every year on November 3, the United States celebrates National Sandwich Day to honor one of the most popular products on the American continent. It must be said that today this holiday is popular not only in America, but also in many Western countries, and this is not surprising.

After all, a sandwich (sandwich) – is, in fact, a sandwich – two slices of bread or rolls, between which any filling is placed (this can be meat, fish, sausage, cheese, jam, peanut butter, herbs or any other ingredients). By the way, an ordinary sandwich can be called a «open» sandwich.

Sandwiches as food (untitled) date back to time immemorial. It is known that back in the 1st century, the Jew Hillel the Babylonian (who is considered the teacher of Christ) introduced the Easter tradition of wrapping a mixture of crushed apples and nuts mixed with spices in a piece of matzo. This food represented the suffering of the Jewish people. And in the Middle Ages, there was a tradition of serving stew on large pieces of stale bread, which were soaked in juice while eating, which was very satisfying and allowed you to save on meat. There are other examples in literature, but this dish received its name «sandwich», as legend has it, in the 18th century.

It received such a sonorous name in honor of John Montagu (1718-1792), 4th Earl of Sandwich, an English diplomat and statesman, First Lord of the Admiralty. By the way, the South Sandwich Islands, discovered by James Cook during his third circumnavigation of the world, are also named after him.

According to the most common version, «sandwich» was invented by « Montague for a quick snack during a card game. Yes, alas, everything is so banal. The Count was an avid player and could spend almost a day at the gambling table. And, naturally, when he was hungry, they brought him food. It was during such a multi-hour game that the losing opponent passionately accused the count of using his dirty fingers to «kropit» cards. And so that this would not happen again, the count ordered his servant to serve a piece of roast beef placed between two slices of bread. This allowed him to continue the game without interrupting for a snack, but without staining cards.

Everyone who witnessed this decision then really liked it, and soon such an original sandwich « like Sandwich», or «-sandwich», became all popular among local avid gamblers. This is how the name «new dish» was born, which changed the culinary world. After all, it is believed that this is how fast food appeared.

Today, sandwiches come in not only different recipes, but also different sizes (Photo: © Nalga /Photobank Photojenica)

Very quickly, a dish called «sandwich» spread throughout the taverns of England and further through its colonies, and in 1840, a cookbook written by the Englishwoman Elizabeth Leslie was published in America, in which she described the first recipe for a ham and mustard sandwich. By the beginning of the 20th century, the sandwich had already conquered all of America as a convenient and cheap food, especially after bakeries began offering pre-cut bread for sale, which significantly simplified the construction of sandwiches. Today, sandwiches are known all over the world, and Americans even established a separate national holiday in honor of it, since they were and remain the biggest fans of this dish. Almost no lunch is complete without sandwiches.

In America there are a huge number of different sandwiches and no less different cafes and restaurants where you can eat them. The most famous sandwich – with peanut butter and jam, as well as – BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato), Montecristo (with turkey and Swiss cheese, deep-fried, served with powdered sugar), Dagwood (a high-rise structure of numerous pieces of bread, meat, cheese and salad), Mufouletta (a set of smoked meats on a white bun with finely chopped olives), Ruben (with sauerkraut, swiss cheese and pastrami) and many others.

According to statistics, Americans eat about 200 sandwiches per person per year. The world's largest sandwich producers are the McDonald's, Subway, Burger King restaurant chains. 75% of eateries, fast food outlets, supermarkets and street stalls during the lunch break note that the sandwich is the most purchased product. This dish ranks second among foods (after fruits) eaten for lunch. In this country, almost everyone loves him, regardless of age and social status.

By the way, hamburgers and hot dogs – are derivatives of the same sandwich. But according to the American Restaurant Association, the most popular sandwich in America is the – hamburger, which is on the menu of almost all restaurants in the country, and 15% of Americans eat the hamburger for lunch.

For lovers of sweets - fruit sandwiches (Photo: © Shebeko /Photobank Photojenica)

In general, there are hundreds of different recipes in the world, sweet and salty, spicy and low-calorie sandwiches. Only America and different states have their own special sandwich recipes. So, in Alabama, chicken meat with a special white barbecue sauce is placed between pieces of bread, in Alaska – salmon, in California – avocados, tomatoes, chicken and lettuce, in Hawaii – chicken and pineapples, in Boston – fried shellfish, in Milwaukee – sausages and sauerkraut, in New York – smoked beef or corned beef, in Chicago – Italian beef, in Philadelphia – meat steak is covered with processed cheddar, and in Miami they eat up Cuban sandwiches with fried pork, ham slices, Swiss cheese and pickles.

Illinois makes a special outdoor sandwich from a toasted piece of bread, any type of meat, a special cheese sauce and French fries. A sweet sandwich is popular in Massachusetts, with nut paste and melted marshmallows between two pieces of toasted white bread, and mustard, onions, two roasted pork ears placed on a toasted round bun in Mississippi, and hot sauce poured over the top. The state of Montana is known for its blueberry curd cheese sandwich, and West Virginia especially loves nut butter and local apple sandwiches.

And also, for example, one of the London supermarkets recently offered its customers an unprecedentedly expensive sandwich for 85 pounds sterling. The filling consisted of tender slices of Wagyu marbled beef, pieces of foie gras, elite Brie de meaux cheese, truffle oil mayonnaise, with slices of cherry tomatoes, arugula salad and sweet pepper. This entire multi-layer structure was served in branded packaging.

Having become part of the national culinary culture in the USA and Great Britain, sandwiches are now popular in other countries around the world. These closed sandwiches reached Russia and other countries of the post-Soviet space only in the early 1990s, as fast food chains developed, which produce the bulk of sandwiches.

The holiday itself – Sandwich Day – is celebrated in the USA mainly by cafes and restaurants, where various competitions are held, both among chefs for the most delicious or original sandwich, and among visitors –, gastronomic competitions for speed eating sandwiches are traditionally held on this day.

You can also join this delicious celebration by making a sandwich according to your own original recipe for yourself, your family and friends. After all, in fact, an ordinary piece of meat (cheese, vegetables or fruits) placed between two slices of bread can already claim the high title of «sandwich».

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