History of the Sandwich
Sandwiches are popular all over the world, they are typically used for pack lunches and picnics, and they are generally made up of salad, meat, cheese and a number of sauces such as tomato ketchup. Bread is one of the first foods to have been around, and the first link to a sandwich is with the ancient Jewish philosopher Hillel the Elder who wrapped meat in bread during the pass over, though some people don't accept this as a sandwich. They instead think that the first sandwich comes from the middle ages, during this time they eat off stale bread known as trenchers', after each meal the food would have soaked into the bread and they were then fed to animals or baggers'.
The very first sandwich as we know it comes from the 17th century and the Netherlands, the Taverns hung beef and cut it into thin slices, and then lay them onto buttered bread. It was a food that was originally linked to men, they would eat them during gaming and drinking, however it slowing became a dish that was served as a late-night snack among the wealthy. When the 19th century came round the popularity of the sandwich shot right up, it was all down to the new industrial society that required, fast, easy meal that you could eat on the go.
There are a number of forms of sandwiches, the open-sandwich, this is very similar the trenchers' as mentioned above. Open sandwiches consist of having one slice of bread with meat, salad, vegetables and condiments on the top of it this is seen as have toppings rather than fillings. Some people don't class this as a sandwich, for example in the USA they only class something as a sandwich if it has at least 2 slices.
Here is a list of sandwiches that are seen as the traditional sandwich' in different countries;