A dish in gastronomy is a specific food preparation, a "distinct article or variety of food", ready to eat or to be served.
31-571: An Italian beef is a sandwich , originating in Chicago , made from thin slices of roast beef simmered and served au jus on French bread . Common toppings are a choice between spicy giardiniera (called "hot") or mild bell peppers (called "sweet"). The entire sandwich is traditionally dipped in the juice the meat is cooked in before serving with a side of French fries . The sandwich traces back to Italian American immigrants in Chicago as early as
62-495: A container or wrapper for another food type, and allows it to be a finger food . The sandwich began as a portable, convenient food in the Western world, though over time it has become prevalent worldwide. There has been social media debate over the precise definition of sandwich , specifically whether a hot dog or open sandwich can be categorized as such. Other items, like hamburger and burrito , were also considered. In
93-458: A "combo." Marinara sauce is sometimes offered as a topping. To assemble an Italian beef, the meat is transferred to the bread still wet, followed by the desired toppings. The completed sandwich is then traditionally dunked in juices before serving. The amount of juices added can be customized using terminology such as "dipped," "dunked," or "wet," but the definitions vary among restaurants. An Italian beef can also be ordered "dry", with or without
124-497: A "sandwich", this food combination seems to have been known as "bread and meat" or "bread and cheese". These two phrases are found throughout English drama from the 16th and 17th centuries. In the first century BCE, the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder is said to have wrapped meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs in a soft matzah —flat, unleavened bread—during Passover in
155-552: A meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog or to beggars at the tables of the wealthy, and eaten by diners in more modest circumstances. The immediate culinary precursor with a direct connection to the English sandwich was to be found in the Netherlands of the seventeenth 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
186-583: A side of juice in a cup, similar to a French dip . An Italian beef is frequently ordered with a side of French fries , or sometimes an Italian ice . Some restaurants sell "gravy bread," bread dipped in juices without meat or toppings. This is cheaper than a full sandwich. The exact origin of the sandwich is unknown. One possible origin is that the sandwich was invented by Italian American immigrants who sliced inexpensive beef cuts exceedingly thin to feed many people and to tenderize tougher cuts of beef that they were forced to buy due to discrimination . The beef
217-454: A soft filling between the baked layers. In corporate finance, Dutch Sandwich and Double Irish with a Dutch sandwich refer to schemes for tax evasion. The word butty , originally referring to a buttered slice of bread, is common in some northern and southern parts of England and Wales as a slang synonym for "sandwich," particularly to refer to certain kinds of sandwiches including the chip butty , bacon butty , or sausage butty . Sarnie
248-417: A surge in demand for the sandwich in the months following the premiere of the show. Chris Zucchero, owner of Mr. Beef, starred in the pilot episode, which was filmed in his restaurant. Sandwich A sandwich is a dish typically consisting of meat, cheese or vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread , or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as
279-869: A year in London in 1765. An alternative is provided by Sandwich's biographer, N. A. M. Rodger , who suggests Sandwich's commitments to the Navy, and to politics and the arts, mean the first sandwich was more likely to have been consumed at his desk. The sandwich's popularity in Spain and England increased dramatically during the nineteenth century, when the rise of industrial society and the working classes made fast, portable, and inexpensive meals essential. In London, for example, at least seventy street vendors were selling ham sandwiches by 1850; during that decade sandwich bars also became an important form of eating establishment in western Holland, typically serving liver and salt beef sandwiches. In
310-557: Is a similar colloquialism. Likewise, the word sanger is used for sandwich in Australian slang . The colloquial Scottish word piece may refer either to a sandwich or to a light meal, especially one that includes a sandwich. For example, the phrase jeely piece refers to a jam sandwich . The colloquial form "sammich" (alternatively, "sammidge") is used in the Southeastern United States. In Japanese, sando or sandoichi
341-740: Is commonly said that Lord Sandwich, during long sessions of cribbage and other card games at public gambling houses , would order his valet to bring him roast beef between two pieces of toasted bread. He was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue gambling while eating, without the need for a fork, and without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands. The dish then grew in popularity in London, and Sandwich's name became associated with it. The rumour in its familiar form appeared in Pierre-Jean Grosley 's Londres ( Neuchâtel , 1770), translated as A Tour to London in 1772; Grosley's impressions had been formed during
SECTION 10
#1733092862131372-447: Is commonly used due to its ease of preparation, but some restaurants use top sirloin . The meat is cooked until it is not pink in the middle, unlike that of a roast beef sandwich . When it is done, it is sliced as thinly as possible, usually thinner than one would for a roast beef sandwich. It is then soaked in the juices it was cooked in. The sandwich is typically served on French bread, often baked at Turano Baking Co. in particular. It
403-484: Is explicitly excluded. In Britain, the British Sandwich Association defines a sandwich as "any form of bread with a filling, generally assembled cold"; a definition which includes wraps and bagels , but potentially excludes dishes assembled and served hot, such as burgers. Sandwiches are a popular type of lunch food, taken to work, school, or picnics to be eaten as part of a packed lunch . The bread
434-442: Is frequently coated with condiments such as mayonnaise or mustard to enhance its flavour and texture, but may be served plain ("dry"). As well as being homemade, sandwiches are also widely sold in various retail outlets and can be served hot or cold. Although savoury sandwiches—such as deli meat sandwiches—are in the majority, sweet sandwiches—such as jam sandwiches and fluffernutters —form their own category. The sandwich
465-406: Is important that the bread is crusty so it does not fall apart after being dipped. Traditionally the sandwich is either ordered "sweet" with grilled or boiled bell peppers , or "hot" with spicy giardiniera . The sandwich can also be topped with cheese (mozzarella, provolone, or cheddar cheese) which is growing in popularity. Some restaurants offer the addition of Italian sausage , typically called
496-414: Is named after the inventor of a certain roast beef sandwich in 18th century England, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich . The Wall Street Journal has described it as Britain's "biggest contribution to gastronomy ". The use of some kind of bread or bread-like substance to lie under some other food, or to scoop it up and enclose or wrap it, is found in many cultures historically. Before being known as
527-461: Is used. Sandwiches have been widely sold in cafes, railway stations, pubs and diners since the invention of sliced bread in the 1920s. Sandwiches kept unwrapped, drying up and edges curling, until they were sold, were widely found in Britain until the 1970s. Cafes and buffets in railway stations and on trains were notorious, and the term " British Rail sandwich " was often used satirically. In 1979,
558-457: The Chicago Tribune , the sandwich was not very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but it began to take off in the 1970s. By the 1980s, the sandwich was ubiquitous throughout Chicago, celebrities such as Neil Diamond and Jay Leno reportedly enjoyed the sandwich. Still, the sandwich was mostly unknown outside the city until the release of The Bear in 2022. Restaurants across the U.S. reported
589-550: The 1930s, but the exact origin is unknown. The sandwich gradually grew in popularity and was widely eaten in the city by the 1970s and 1980s. The sandwich saw a substantial rise in popularity upon the release of the television show The Bear , set in a fictional Chicago restaurant which specializes in the sandwich. The sandwich is made from beef that has been roasted in beef stock and other seasonings. A 1962 recipe calls for bay leaves, garlic powder, tomato paste, and crushed dried red pepper. The choice of beef cut varies. Inside round
620-632: The British sandwich industry made and sold £8 billion worth of sandwiches. Dish (food) A dish may be served on tableware , or may be eaten in one's hands. Instructions for preparing a dish are called recipes . Some dishes, for example a hot dog with ketchup , rarely have their own recipes printed in cookbooks as they are made by simply combining two ready-to-eat foods. Many dishes have specific names, such as Sauerbraten , while others have descriptive names, such as "broiled ribsteak". Many are named for particular places, sometimes because of
651-508: The British store chain Marks & Spencer introduced a small range of chilled, pre-made sandwiches sold in wedge-shaped boxes, sealed to keep them fresh. As they proved popular, a small experiment involving five stores rapidly grew to cover more than one hundred stores. Within a year, the store was looking for ways to manufacture sandwiches at an industrial scale. By the end of the decade, the British sandwich industry had become worth £1bn. In 2017,
SECTION 20
#1733092862131682-616: The US, a court in Indiana ruled in 2024 that tacos and burritos are sandwiches, specifically that "The Court agrees with Quintana that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches". The court further ruled that such a definition of sandwich would also apply to a "restaurant that serves made-to-order Greek gyros, Indian naan wraps, or Vietnamese banh mi". The state of New York has a definition of "sandwich" that explicitly includes burritos, gyros , hot dogs, and wraps and pita sandwiches. In Spain, where
713-500: The US: it usually refers to an item that uses sliced bread from a loaf. An item with similar fillings but using an entire bread roll cut horizontally in half, is generally referred to as a roll , or with certain hot fillings, a burger . However, in Australia hot sliced (not ground) beef between two slices of toasted bread is referred to as a steak sandwich : the sliced loaf bread distinguishes
744-631: The United States, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration are the responsible agencies for protecting the definition of sandwich . The USDA uses the definition, "at least 35% cooked meat and no more than 50% bread" for closed sandwiches, and "at least 50% cooked meat" for open sandwiches. However, the same USDA manual determines that burritos and fajitas are "sandwich-like", and frankfurters are "sandwich type", while stromboli
775-590: The United States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate meal at supper. By the early 20th century, as bread became a staple of the American diet, the sandwich became the same kind of popular, quick meal as was already widespread in the Mediterranean . In the US, a court in Boston , Massachusetts , ruled in 2006 that a sandwich includes at least two slices of bread and "under this definition, this court finds that
806-648: The manner of a modern wrap made with flatbread . Flat breads of only slightly varying kinds have long been used to scoop or wrap small amounts of food en route from platter to mouth throughout Western Asia and northern Africa. From Morocco to Ethiopia to India , bread is usually baked in flat rounds, contrasting with the European loaf tradition. During the Middle Ages in Europe, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread , called " trenchers ," were used as plates. After
837-547: The slices upon the butter"—explanatory specifications that reveal the Dutch belegde broodje , open-faced sandwich , was as yet unfamiliar in England. Initially perceived as food that men shared while gaming and drinking at night, the sandwich slowly began appearing in polite society as a late-night meal among the aristocracy . The sandwich is named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich , an eighteenth-century English aristocrat . It
868-536: The steak sandwich from a burger. The verb to sandwich has the meaning "to position anything between two other things of a different character, or to place different elements alternately," and the noun sandwich has related meanings derived from this more general definition. For example, an ice cream sandwich consists of a layer of ice cream between two layers of cake or biscuit. Similarly, Oreos and Custard creams are described as sandwich biscuits (UK/Commonwealth) or sandwich cookies (US) because they consist of
899-432: The term 'sandwich' is not commonly understood to include burritos , tacos , and quesadillas , which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans." The issue stemmed from the question of whether a restaurant that sold burritos could move into a shopping centre where another restaurant had a no-compete clause in its lease prohibiting other "sandwich" shops. Also in
930-447: The word sandwich is borrowed from the English language, it refers to a food item made with English sandwich bread . It is otherwise known as a bocadillo . Similar usage applies in other Spanish-speaking cultures, such as Mexico, where the word torta is also used for a popular variety of roll-type sandwiches. In the UK and Australia, the term sandwich is more narrowly defined than in
961-510: Was served on bread to further stretch the meal and mask the poor quality of the meat. Some historians believe that Pasquale Scala invented the sandwich in the 1920s to serve at weddings. Al's Beef claims that Tony Ferreri invented the sandwich in the 1920s to serve at weddings; his son Al later began selling beef sandwiches in 1938. Others believe that Chicago restaurants adapted the French dip sandwich from Los Angeles in 1948 or 1949. According to