I think it’s fair to say that ‘the sandwich’ is one of history’s greatest food inventions. The world has become partial to the portable meal consisting of your most desirable savoury fillings, neatly packaged between two soft pillows of wholesome bread.
Yes! National Sandwich Week recently took place in the UK and we just had to honour the humble sandwich that has graced many menus across the world. The question is, why does everyone love a sandwich? What does this simple, yet satisfying, snack do for us and why does it make us come back for more?
Well, let’s take a journey across the globe and shed a little light on the integral fillings that make up some countries’ most popular sandwiches….feeling a little peckish we hear you say?
We begin our journey in the American Midwest, where you’ll stumble upon ‘Sloppy Joes’. The ‘Sloppy Joe’ kind of looks like a burger, but don’t be fooled. The ‘Joe’ is made up of ground beef, onions, sweetened tomato sauce or ketchup all stirred up to make one sloppy concoction of mincey goodness. Doesn’t sound overly mouth-watering does it, but we do like a bit of diversity so now might be the time to give it a whirl!
Voyage back to the Middle-East, Turkey to be precise, and you’ll discover the spiced meat sandwich, commonly known in the UK as the Doner kebab! Many of us have devoured such a dish after a night out but, in Turkey it is considered a delicious favourite. The Shawarma, as it is known, comes served on a large stainless steel style platter with a variety of dressings and salad.
You wouldn’t necessarily link sandwiches and the Far East, but believe it or not the Vietnamese also love a good sarnie! With France-Vietnam relations dating back to the 17th century, it’s no surprise that the ‘baguette’ found its way on to the Vietnamese menu. Known as ‘banh mi’ to the locals, (pron: ‘Bun Me’), the foundation of this sandwich is mayonnaise and sometimes paté, but everything else in the Saigon sub is purely Vietnamese. They can be filled with a variety of ingredients, to tickle every taste bud possible, including barbecue pork, grilled chicken, tofu and even scrambled eggs in the breakfast sandwich.
Finally we head back to America again….and who can blame US. After all it is home to the mother of all sandwiches, ‘The Club’. Popular all over the world from local cafes to exclusive clubs, this sandwich offers a complementary combination of fine meats, fresh salad and fluffy (usually white bloomer) bread. With layer upon layer of bacon, roast chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and mayonnaise dressing, not forgetting the additional piece of bread in the centre, ‘The Club’ is the mightiest sandwich guaranteed to please lunchtime hunger!
We hope you have enjoyed exploring some of the sandwiches of the world with us. Lunch anyone?
