Sandwich

Generality

Sandwich is the name by which the Anglo-Saxons call our "stuffed sandwich", hot or cold and with any type of filling.

The main characteristics of the sandwich are the ease and speed of preparation and consumption, aspects that place it in the group of fast-food foods (and, sometimes, even among junk foods). The use of the sandwich is therefore frequent in secondary meals, in frugal lunches, in school catering, in work and also in recreational settings.

It is curious to note that the sandwiches have entered the Italian culture to satisfy the need for a quick meal (both in the preparation and in the consumption) and at the same time nutritious, cheap and not dirty ... while, to date, their consumption is increasingly oriented towards buying in bars and fast food restaurants. This change in habits can be interpreted in two ways: the first is that both time and economic resources (a sandwich - considering the preparation times, washing dishes, cutlery, pots, etc., continue to decrease - often cost less than a dish of dry pasta seasoned!); the second is that the Italian population is gradually getting lazy, inexorably losing the gastronomic and food culture of the Bel Paese.

Historical outline and distribution

The sandwich takes its name from its area of origin, then Sandwich, a town in Kent that rises on the river Stour, near the English Channel (Great Britain - United Kingdom). The inventor of the "proper" sandwich was Count Lord John Montagu (1700 AD) who, during his recreational activities, used to have sandwiches prepared with meat to be consumed without cutlery.

From the purely Anglo-Saxon origins, starting from the seventeenth century AD, the term sandwich has spread throughout the planet, easily reaching even America, Asia and Africa. Even if improperly, today even the oldest sandwiches are considered sandwiches; a particularly indicative example is the typical turkish dürüm-kebab sandwich, while the most famous American sandwiches are the hamburger and the hot dog (both American). In the United Kingdom and Australia, sandwiches are defined as sandwiches made from whole and divided loaves, while those obtained from sliced bread are known as rolls. In Italy, in addition to the classic sandwiches, there is a type of sandwich called tramezzino, prepared with sandwich bread; the name was coined by Gabriele D'Annunzio (a superman and nationalist poet), in an attempt to totally eliminate the international nouns from the Italian vocabulary. In Brittany, the sandwich is often called Butty, for the collective habit of spreading the butter on the slices of toasted bread to be stuffed; in the same area the term Sarnie is widespread , while in Scotland the sandwich can be called dialectally Piece (translated: piece) and in Australia Sanger .

As it is layered, the sandwich can also play the role of dessert brilliantly. It is characterized by an open shell filled with other ingredients, such as the brioche stuffed with ice cream or the biscuit sandwich (or sponge cake) with butter cream, hazelnut, jam etc.

NB . The Wall Street Journal described the sandwich as "Britain's greatest contribution to world gastronomy".

Disputes

The sandwich is a particularly simple food. The fundamental ingredients are two: bread and stuffing, the latter in turn represented by one or more elements of various kinds.

Throughout the world, sandwich can be understood as a single slice of covered bread, or two or more slices ... on the other hand, this does not apply to Massachusetts (USA). Here, the Boston court ruled that "the term" sandwich "means a preparation having AT LEAST TWO slices of bread; under this definition, the Court considers that the term "sandwich" should not include burritos, tacos and quesadillas, generally composed of ONE tortilla and stuffed with a filling of meat, rice and beans ".

As can be easily deduced, the sentence concluded a dispute between two restaurateurs: a burritos seller and a sandwich seller, both tenants in the same shopping center. The entrepreneur who proposed the sandwiches should have had a "NON-COMPETITION" contract clause within the same building, but this was challenged with the opening of the burritos distributor. Obviously, this situation has necessitated the distinction between sandwich and other similar products.

Types of Sandwiches

It is therefore clear that the sandwich is an extremely heterogeneous food, and that there are as many versions as there are personal tastes of human beings. However, even for sandwiches there are "winning" recipes that have prevailed over the other proposals. To this end, below we summarize the most famous sandwiches in the world:

BLT (acronym for: Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato): it is a type of bacon sandwich. BLT consists of five ingredients: pancetta, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and bread. The BLT is the evolution of the classic "tea sandwich" (a typically Anglo-Saxon moment that corresponds to our "snack").
Cheese sandwich : it is a sandwich with one or more varieties of cheese on each slice of bread. In addition to this, it can also include condiments such as butter or mayonnaise. These sandwiches can be cold or heated to dissolve the dairy product; if they contain meat they are generally indicated by more specific names.
Dagwood sandwich : it is a multilayer made with different varieties of meats, cheeses and condiments.
French dip : in the American kitchen it represents a French alternative. It is a hot sandwich consisting of thinly sliced roast beef (or, sometimes, other meats) on a French bread (usually a baguette). It should be served au jus ("with juice"), that is with the juice of beef obtained from the cooking process. Despite the term, this American specialty is almost completely unknown in France; the name therefore seems to refer to the style of bread rather than to an alleged French origin.
Hamburger : see the dedicated article.
Monte Cristo sandwich : it is a sandwich with ham and fried cheese, a variant of the French croque-monsieur . In 1930-1960, American cookbooks cited several recipes for this sandwich, with names like "French Sandwich". In general, the Emmental or the Goviera are used for its preparation.
Muffuletta : it is both a type of Sicilian sesame bread and a popular sandwich that uses this raw material and originates from Italian immigrants in New Orleans (Louisiana).
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) : it is very popular in North America and includes a layer of peanut butter and jelly or jam on bread, commonly (but not necessarily) between two slices. According to a 2002 survey, the average American eats 2, 500 of these sandwiches before graduating from high school.
Philadelpia cheesesteak : also known as philly cheesesteak and cheesesteak sandwich, it is a sandwich with steak and melted cheese, enclosed in a long roll, then cut into pieces.
Pilgrim sandwich : translated, pilgrim or Puritan; was born as a recycling of Thanksgiving day's leftovers and usually contains: roast turkey, blueberries or cranberry sauce and cheddar cheese.
Po 'boy : it's a Louisiana sandwich. It almost always consists of meat (roast beef) or fried fish. Meat is served in a baguette like in French New Orleans.
Reuben : is a hot sandwich with canned meat, Swiss cheese, Russian sauce and sauerkraut.
Sloppy joe : is a sandwich originally from the United States consisting of minced meat, onion, tomato sauce or ketchup and other seasonings, served in a hamburger bun.
Submarine (submarine) sandwich : it is a sandwich consisting of a long roll of Italian or French bread filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, condiments and sauces. The sandwich does not have a standard name and many regions of the United States have their definition.

Nutritional relief

Sandwiches have a variable content depending on the recipe. To understand the extent of the differences between the various products, just compare a Double Hamburger with a pita bread stuffed with grilled vegetables!

Calculate the calories of your favorite sandwich

In principle, the sandwich is a food that can be an excellent product or a bad alternative, depending on the context and the ingredients used.

If made from lean bread, preferably fresh and with a crust, and stuffed with products that are equally low in fat and rich in fiber (better if not salted), the sandwich is an EXCELLENT food for secondary meals. On the contrary, eating sandwiches stuffed with cold cuts (or fatty meats), sauces and fat cheeses, enclosed in a soft preserved bread, facilitates the immoderate increase in calories, saturated lipids, cholesterol and sodium (with a low satiating power! ).

Furthermore, the habit of replacing lunch with a sandwich is an unfair and negative behavior for growing subjects. A single sandwich does not allow us to distinguish the flavors, it gives us the idea of eating little and, frequently, creates a caloric deficit then SUPER compensation for the evening meal. In short, this is one of the main reasons for weight gain despite having the impression of being "on a diet".

Sandwiches are very convenient and useful foods when used in secondary meals, as long as they are made from genuine ingredients. However, they cannot (and must not) replace a main meal, especially if stuffed with unhealthy and high calorie ingredients.