Sandwich

A sandwich is a food item that usually includes meat, cheese, sauces, or vegetables as a filling between two slices of bread, or on top of a single slice (called an open sandwich). More broadly, it can be any dish where bread acts as a container or wrapper for another food. Originating as a portable, convenient meal in the Western world, it has since spread globally. The name comes from John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat; the *Wall Street Journal* once called it Britain’s “biggest contribution to gastronomy.”

There has been online debate about the exact definition of a sandwich, especially whether a hot dog or an open sandwich qualifies. Hamburgers and burritos have also been considered. In the United States, the USDA and FDA set regulatory definitions: for closed sandwiches, the USDA requires at least 35% cooked meat and no more than 50% bread; for open sandwiches, at least 50% cooked meat. The same USDA manual classifies burritos and fajitas as “sandwich-like” and frankfurters as “sandwich type,” but explicitly excludes stromboli. In Britain, the British Sandwich Association defines a sandwich as “any form of bread with a filling, generally assembled cold,” which includes wraps and bagels but may exclude hot items like burgers.

Sandwiches are a common lunch food, often brought to work, school, or picnics in packed lunches. The bread is frequently spread with condiments like mayonnaise or mustard for flavor and texture, though it can be served plain (“dry”). They are made at home and widely sold in stores, served either hot or cold. While savory sandwiches—such as those with deli meats—are most common, sweet versions like jam sandwiches and fluffernutters form their own category.

Historically, using bread to hold or scoop up other food appears in many cultures. Before the term “sandwich,” such combinations were called “bread and meat” or “bread and cheese,” phrases found in 16th- and 17th-century English drama. In the first century BC, the Jewish sage Hillel the Elder reportedly wrapped Paschal lamb and bitter herbs in soft matzah, similar to a modern wrap. During the Middle Ages, thick, stale bread slabs called trenchers were used as plates; after a meal, the soaked trencher was fed to dogs or beggars, or eaten by poorer diners. A direct precursor came from 17th-century Netherlands, where naturalist John Ray noted beef hung in taverns, cut into thin slices and eaten with bread and butter—an open-faced sandwich unfamiliar in England at the time. The word “sandwich” itself first appeared referring to a specific roast beef sandwich in England.

Initially seen as food for men gambling and drinking at night, the sandwich gradually entered polite society as a late-night meal among the aristocracy. The common story holds that Lord Sandwich, during long card games at public gambling houses, asked his valet to bring him roast beef between two slices of toasted bread, allowing him to eat without a fork or greasy hands. This tale appeared in Pierre-Jean Grosley’s 1770 book *Londres*, based on his 1765 visit. However, biographer Nicholas A. M. Rodger suggests Sandwich’s naval, political, and artistic duties mean the first sandwich was more likely eaten at his desk.

The sandwich’s popularity in England surged in the 19th century, as industrial society and the working class demanded fast, portable, cheap meals. By 1850, at least seventy street vendors in London sold ham sandwiches; during that decade, sandwich bars also became common in western Holland, typically serving liver and salt beef sandwiches. In the United States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate supper dish. By the early 20th century, as bread became a staple, it evolved into the same kind of quick, popular meal already widespread in the Mediterranean.

In 2006, a Massachusetts court ruled that a sandwich must include at least two slices of bread, and that burritos, tacos, and quesadillas—made with a single tortilla and stuffed with meat, rice, and beans—are not commonly understood as sandwiches.