• 808 Post Rd., Fairfield, CT 06824
  • Phone: 203-955-1888
  • Fax: 203-955-1888
  • info@wichday.com

More History for the Sandwich Glory

More History for the Sandwich Glory

Wich Day is a sandwich shop in Fairfield, Connecticut, that takes sandwiches seriously. Thus, we’ll talk about the history of sandwiches more thoroughly.

We’ve all heard of the anecdote that Earl John Montagu purportedly invented the “Sandwich” for his pastime convenience. This brief story originated from Londres, a book written by Pierre-Jean Grosley, a Frenchman writing about his observations of English life. Indeed, it wasn’t even strictly speaking Montagu but his nameless cook who invented it.

During the 18th century, by the time Montagu invented what would be a gastronomic phenomenon, the word itself past into common parlance when, for example, Edward Gibbon, a famous 18th-century historian, used the term in his journal in 1762.

More importantly, in 1773, the word sandwich finally was used in Charlotte Mason’s cookbook, A Complete System of Cookery. But even earlier than this, Mark Morton in his Bread and Meat for God’s Sake (2004) observes than even Shakespeare had made reference to “sandwiches” but rather used the phrase “bread and meat” or “bread and cheese.”

In any case, sandwiches, at least the usage of the word, first cropped up in America during 1840 with Elizabeth Leslie in her cookbook Directions for Cookery where it even features as a main dish.

By the 1900s, the sandwich has spread all over America and has gained a global following. In the 1920s, Gustav Papendick invented a way to package sliced bread, which naturally was a boon to spread the sandwich according to Bee Wilson, author of Sandwich: A Global History (2010), which you should read.

That’s enough food for thought for now. If you are interested, Wich Day offers catering services in Connecticut.

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