Open sandwich
A single slice of bread topped with various ingredients.
An open sandwich—also called an open-face sandwich, bread baser, bread platter, or tartine—uses a single slice of bread or toast topped with food items. Compared to a standard closed sandwich, it has half the bread and uses toppings instead of fillings.
The concept traces back to the Middle Ages, when coarse bread slabs known as "trenches" (or "trenchers" from French) served as plates. After a meal, the bread, soaked with food, was eaten by the diner (possibly giving rise to the term "trencherman"), fed to a dog, or saved for beggars. These trenchers were early forerunners of both open sandwiches and disposable plates. A more direct predecessor appeared in 17th-century Netherlands: naturalist John Ray noted that in taverns, beef hung from rafters was cut into thin slices and placed on buttered bread, a practice then unfamiliar in England.
In Denmark, smørrebrød isn't considered a sandwich; instead, a sandwich is seen as smørrebrød with an extra bread slice on top. In the U.S., open sandwiches are defined as having one bread slice. This led to a philosophical debate about meaning underdetermination after a judge ruled that a burrito wasn't a sandwich, following Merriam-Webster's definition of "two thin pieces of bread" with a filling between them—since a burrito uses a single tortilla.
Open sandwiches allow for varied arrangements, often served with afternoon teas or alongside salads. They can be cut into shapes like triangles, stars, rounds, or crescents and arranged on a platter. Common toppings include jam, stuffed olives, chopped herbs, cream cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and pimiento, though any ingredients can add flavor and color.
In many European countries and North America, open sandwiches are a regular breakfast or supper item. They typically feature a slice of fresh bread (or a bread roll half, as in Germany) with spreads, butter, liver pâté, cheese spreads, cold cuts (roast beef, turkey, ham, bacon, salami, beef tongue, mortadella, head cheese, or sausages like beerwurst or kabanos), fish (smoked salmon, gravadlax, herring, eel), and vegetables (bell pepper, tomato, radish, scallion, cucumber). In former Czechoslovakia, obložené chlebíčky are popular: a slant-cut slice of white bread spread with butter or mayonnaise salads, topped with hard-boiled egg, cheese, ham, salami, smoked fish, tomato, pickled cucumber, lettuce, raw onion, or other vegetab
- type
- Food item
- also known as
- Open-face sandwich, bread baser, bread platter, tartine
- key precursor
- Medieval trenchers (trenches)
- early documented form
- 17th-century Dutch belegde boterham
- common in
- Nordic countries, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, North America, among others
- notable variant
- Smørrebrød (Denmark), obložené chlebíčky (Czech Republic), Uitsmijter (Netherlands/Flanders)
Quick Facts
- Main Ingredient
- Bread, topping
- Variations
- Many variations exist
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
During the start of the Middle Ages, thin slabs of coarse bread called 'trenches' (late 15th century English) or, in its French derivative, 'trenchers', were used as plates. At the end of the meal, the food-soaked trencher was eaten by the diner, fed to a dog, or saved for beggars. Trenchers were as much the harbingers of open-face sandwiches as they were of disposable crockery. A direct precursor to the English sandwich may be found in the Netherlands of the 17th century, where the naturalist John Ray observed that in the taverns, beef hung from the rafters 'which they cut into thin slices and eat with bread and butter laying the slices upon the butter.' These explanatory specifications reveal that the Dutch belegde boterham, open-faced sandwich, was as yet unfamiliar in England.
Reader's Guide
The open sandwich holds significance as a versatile food form that predates the closed sandwich and appears across many European and North American culinary traditions. In countries like Denmark, smørrebrød is not considered a form of sandwich; rather, a sandwich is considered a form of smørrebrød with an extra piece of bread on top. In a US context, open sandwiches are sandwiches made with only a single slice of bread, a definition that has led to legal controversy—a judge ruled that a burrito, made with a single tortilla, was not a sandwich under Merriam-Webster's definition. Open sandwiches allow for artistic presentation, cut into fancy shapes and arranged on platters for afternoon teas or salads. They are consumed as regular breakfast and supper food in many European countries and North America, with regional variations such as the Scandinavian smørrebrød (often on whole-grain rye bread), the Czech obložené chlebíčky, the Dutch Uitsmijter (topped with fried eggs), and British 'on toast' dishes like Welsh rarebit. In North America, open faced sandwiches may also refer to a slice of bread topped with warm slices of roasted meat and gravy, as in a beef Manhattan or hot chicken sandwich.
Did You Know?
- The term 'trencherman' may derive from diners who ate food-soaked trenchers at the end of a meal.
- In Denmark, smørrebrød is not considered a sandwich; a sandwich is considered a form of smørrebrød with an extra piece of bread on top.
- A US judge ruled that a burrito is not a sandwich because it is typically made with a single tortilla, following Merriam-Webster's definition of a sandwich.
- The Scotch woodcock is an open sandwich served historically at the colleges of the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford and in the refreshment rooms of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as late as 19
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