Research

Sandwich History

Guest Author - Catherine Bridges

Sandwiches have most likely been around much longer than their presence has been recorded. The earliest recorded combination of bread with fillings pressed between came when Rabbi Hillel put apple slices, chopped nuts, and some spices between matzos to eat with the bitter herbs during Passover in the 1st century B.C.

The first mention of the word, ?sandwich? came around 1762 when a reporter wrote in the daily news about John Montague, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. As he sat gambling for long hours, the only sustenance he requested was spirits, water, bread, cheese and meat. As he continued to play with one hand, he sat the meat and cheese between the slices of bread and held them in his non-playing hand. Seeing this, others at the nearby tables requested ?the same as Sandwich".

In 1827, Miss Leslie's Directions for Cookery, a popular early cookbook, includes a recipe for ham sandwiches and officially gives them the designation of main dish which garnered public approval of the sandwich to be used as such in the early U.S. In 1900, unsliced, soft, white bread loaves begin to be sold in local general stores and grocery stores. As early as the 1920s, children begin to carry sandwiches in their lunch pails, the most popular fillings of that time were eggs and ham.

In the 1930s, sliced, soft, white bread is first sold by Wonder Bread. During this same period, the comic strip, ?Blondie? introduces the U.S. to Dagwood Bumstead and his crazy, tall-stacked Dagwood sandwiches.

Americas favorite sandwich is, of course, the Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB&J) created by WWII soldiers. The soldiers combined bread, peanut butter and jelly from their c-rations (ready-pack meals). This filling treat spread through the ranks and they then brought the idea home to their families. One of the most famous sandwiches is the Elvis Presley favorite - fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. An interesting aside is that in 2002, the U.S. Army formulated sandwiches that are shelf-stable for up to three years. (However, the soldiers? favorite PB&J, the most requested by troops, is still being perfected.)

Sandwiches today are found not only on all variety of breads (rye, sourdough, pumpernickel, wheat, etc.,) but also on all types of types of breads ? tortillas, focaccia, matzo, pita, and more! Each culture seems to have created their own version of the ?sandwich? ideal for use of leftovers and/or convenient packaging of product and its consumption. Join Sandwiches here at Bellaonline for a journey through some of the classic, new and culturally diverse sandwiches youve ever met.

Different Types of Sandwiches

Sandwiches may be served in dif­ferent styles. They may be served open and cut into different shapes. To keep thesandwich in better condition it may be wrapped in paper napkins or placed in sandwich bags especially if they are to be packed snacks. Sandwiches which are to be served immediately may be simply arranged on a serving plate. The rest of the sandwiches may be placed in a covered tray lined with a damp towel. Keep them there until serving time to avoid drying.

1. Open Sandwiches

Open sandwiches make use of only one kind of bread with the filling on top. The slices of white bread can be cut into squares, tri­angles or rounds. Butter is spread lightly on top and pieces of cheese or meat fillings is placed on top. They may be gar­nished with slices of carrots, raisins, pickles and the like to make them more attractive. Open sandwiches are similar to canapes. They make use of biscuits, cookies or toasts instead of using breads.

2. Plain Sandwiches

A plain sandwich is made up of two slices of bread, preferably a day-old bread, toasted if desired, and on which butter can be readily spread. Its crusts may or may not be removed, depending upon your preference. Butter, mayonnaise or a prepared sandwich spread may be used as lining to prevent the bread from absorbing moisture from the filling. Besides preventing the bread from becoming soggy, the spread also adds flavor and nutrients. Moreover, it ensures that the bread and the filling will stick together.

3. Pinwheels Sandwiches

Pinwheels are made of cream bread cut lengthwise, about 3/8 inch thick. Fresh cream bread is preferable because they are easy to roll and will not crack. Trim crusts and flatten long slices with rolling pin. Spread bread with softened butter or margarine and your choice of any smooth filling, like creamed cheese, marmalades, cheese pimiento, peanut butter, jams and jellies. Smooth filling are ideal for pinwheel sandwiches, because they

do not have bulk and can be spread thinly. Place sweet pickles or several stuffed olives at the end of slice. Roll up bread like a jelly roll. Wrap each rolled sandwich individually and chill for several hours or until they are firm. When ready to serve, unwrap the rolled sandwiches and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Use a sharp knife or a bread knife so the sandwiches are cut clear and neat. Arrange and serve them on a platter. Garnish if needed.

4. Closed Tea Sandwiches

Closed tea sandwiches may be made ahead of time and frozen. They should be removed from the freezer at least three hours before they are to beserved.

Remove the crusts of a day-old bread. With cooky cutters of various shapes and sizes, cut as many pieces as possible from one slice. Squares, rectangles and oblongs add to the variety. Save the scraps and crusts for crumbs. For each sandwich, spread butter on one piece of bread and filling on the other. Top the filled side with the buttered side. Place in waxed paper or in a clean damp towel and place in an airtight container to freeze.

5. Ribbon Sandwiches

Colored cream bread is suitable for ribbon sandwiches. Al­ternate 3 slices each of pink and green bread with one or more fill­ings spread between slices. Press together stack of slices and then trim crusts. Wrap and chill for several hours. When ready to serve, cut into 1/2 inch slices.

6. Mosaic Sandwiches

An alternate color of slices of bread is preferable for this type of sandwich.

The initial step is similar to that of the rib­bon sandwiches,' Press together stack of slices and then trim crusts. Wrap and chill for several hours. Cut about 1/2 inch wide. Spread cut sides of rib­bons with fillings. Stack 3 ribbon sandwiches so that green and pink sections alternate. Wrap and chill for several hours. Slice about 1/2 inch thick into checkerboard sandwiches immediately after removing from refrigerator. These are some­times called checkerboard sandwiches because of the alternate squares of green and pink bread.

Some Things to Remember in Making Sandwiches

1. When cutting bread, keep slices together in pairs so that they will fit together.

2. Have butter, margarine, or spread at room temperature so that it will spread without tearing the bread. Cream if necessary. Spread very thin.

3. Certain eating practices also affect the type of sandwich filling. Some prefer the more expensive fillings like chicken, luncheon meat, corned beef, and sausages while others prefer simple fillings like egg, tuna and cheese.

4. Bread may also be multilayered with one or more types of filling as in clubhouse sandwich.

5. Different colors of bread can be combined together and sliced differently to make interesting designs for the sandwich.

6. Apply spread on bread evenly to prevent sogginess. Then put in the prepared filling.

7. Vary serving of sandwiches by using different kinds of bread, fillings and by cutting them into different shapes.

Celebrity Sarnies...Famous Faces and their Favourite Fillings!

Elvis loved his sandwiches filled with peanut butter, bananas and bacon, while Paddington Bear was stuck on marmalade. But the title of ‘Best Buttie’ is still undecided as these famous faces prove....

Paul Rankin - 'Roast Turkey and Ham'

Jamie Oliver – ‘Prawns with basil mayonnaise and cress’

Gordon Ramsay – ‘Triple-decker steak’

Marco Pierre White – ‘Bacon’

The information below is from the British Sandwich Association 

• The British sandwich market bought ‘on the go’ is currently worth £2.8 billion
• In the last year 1.69 billion sandwiches were sold ‘on the go’, at an average price of £1.66
• Over 62% of the population buy a sandwich at least once a year
• Over 19.7% of sandwiches are bought in work (work canteens and staff shops etc)
• People in Yorkshire spend the most on sandwiches – an average of over £114 a year
• People in the South West spend the least – an average of £55 a year. This means they spend under half that of their northern counterparts
• The most expensive place to buy a sandwich is London - £1.83 versus a national average of £1.66
• Wraps account for 4% of total sandwich sales, baguettes for 10%
• One third of the market in value is accounted for by 25-34 year olds
• Over 30% of all sandwiches sold have chicken as a filling
• 70% of all sandwiches are eaten at home, totalling 6.2 billion occasions (down 3% on 2004)
• An average of 4.2 sandwiches are eaten at home, per person, every week in Britain
• 55% of sandwiches eaten at home are consumed at lunchtime. A further 13% are eaten at Tea, 11% at the Evening Meal and & 7% as part of a snack. Surprisingly 14% are eaten at Breakfast.
• With a further 2.67 billion sandwiches made for lunch boxes, this means UK consumers are currently consuming nearly 11 billion sandwiches per year.

Commercial Sandwich Market
(Note: the surveys do not gather data from some sectors such as schools and healthcare)

Market Size

• Approximately 1.8 billion sandwiches are purchased outside the home each year
• The commercial sandwich market is worth approximately £3.5 billion – by comparison the pizza market in the UK is worth around £1 billion.

Top Fillings

The most popular sandwich fillings in the pre-prepared sandwich market are:

Chicken (24%)
Fish (18%) (mostly tuna and prawns)
Cheese (15%)
Ham (12%)
Bacon (10%)
Egg (7%)
Sausage (3%)
Other (12%)

To put this into some perspective, the volumes of ingredients used are estimated by the Association to be as follows:

Chicken 20,550 tonnes
Fish 17,400 tonnes
Cheese 13,500 tonnes
Ham 11,100 tonnes
Bacon 8,700 tonnes
Eggs 6,000 tonnes
Sausages 2,600 tonnes
Where Sandwiches are Purchased

Market Breakdown

These days commercially made sandwiches are purchased in a huge variety of outlets, from supermarkets to off-licences. In broad terms, the market breaks down as follows:

18.1% Workplace
22.2% Supermarkets
15.7% Cafes/Sandwich bars
19.6% Bakers
5.9% Convenience stores/corner shops
5% Petrol stations
6.5% High Street Department Stores
1.8% Motorway services
1% Pubs/hotels

Looks good, tastes even better

It's important to reduce the total amount of fat we eat. All of our eight low fat Subs contain less than 3g of fat per 100g, making them a great choice if you're trying to be good. Even better, you don't have to compromise on taste.

Beef

Chicken Breast

Ham †

SUBWAY CLUB ®

Turkey Breast*

Turkey Breast* and Ham†

Subway

HISTORY

The story begins in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA during the summer of 1965. Fred DeLuca, an ambitious 17-year-old high school graduate, was looking for a way to make enough money to pay for his university tuition. The solution came at a BBQ during a conversation with a family friend, Dr. Peter Buck. Dr. Buck suggested to Fred that he open a submarine sandwich shop - having seen a sandwich shop in his hometown experience huge success.

With a $1,000 loan from Dr. Buck, the partnership was formed and Pete's Super Submarines opened in August 1965. The first year was a challenge and a learning experience for the young entrepreneurs. They opened their second location a year later and quickly realised that marketing and visibility were going to be key factors in the success of the business - the third outlet was in a highly visible location and it's still serving sandwiches today. The name was shortened from Pete's Super Submarines to SUBWAY® and the familiar bright yellow logo was introduced.

The next step was to formulate a business plan that outlined the SUBWAY® chain's goals. In an effort to reach those goals, SUBWAY® outlets began franchising, giving others the opportunity to succeed in their own business venture. The first SUBWAY® franchise opened in Connecticut in 1974.

UK and Ireland History

• In 1996, the first SUBWAY store opens in Brighton by Murray and Maria Speirs
   
• Fred DeLuca attended his first media tour of the UK in 2001 when SUBWAY® reached the 50 store mark. At this point he announced the goal of over 2,000 stores by 2010
   
• In 2002, SUBWAY® opens its 100th store in the UK and Ireland
   
• At the end of 2003, there were 200 stores in the UK and Ireland
• In July 2003 the SUBWAY® chain became the largest specialist sandwich chain in the UK and Ireland, according to a report by Mintel
   
• By mid 2004, there were 300 stores
   
• By the end of 2004, there were 350 stores
   
• By February 2005, there were 400 stores
   
• In May 2005 Jared Fogle visited the market and embarked upon a week-long media tour of the UK and Ireland
   
• By mid 2005, the SUBWAY® chain hit the 500th store mark with the opening of a store at Bristol International Airport
   
• The first national TV advertising campaign, 'Sub of the Day' was launched in January 2006
   
• In 2006, the 600th store opened in Huntingdon, home town of the Earl of Sandwich
   
• In August 2006, the SUBWAY® chain announced that it had more stores open in the UK and Ireland than Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut
   
• In January 2007, the SUBWAY® chain was awarded the coveted Number 1 franchise opportunity spot in Entrepreneur magazine's annual "Franchise 500" rankings - the 15th time it has won the award in the past 19 years
   
• SUBWAY® supports the Department of Health's 5 A DAY programme - by choosing all the salad ingredients for your Sub you get one of the five servings of fruit and veg recommended by the Department of Health
   
• In January 2008, the SUBWAY® chain was recognised as the Number One Global Franchise opportunity by Entrepreneur Magazine
   
• As of July 2008, the SUBWAY® chain now has over 1,250 stores open in the UK and Ireland and continues to expand at a phenomenal rate, with an average of six stores opening in the UK and Ireland every week

FACT SHEET

• 1

Fred DeLuca founded the SUBWAY® chain in Connecticut, USA, in 1965. The company has since grown into a multi-billion pound business, with more than 29,000 outlets in over 87 countries.

• 2

In 2008, the SUBWAY® chain was named the Number One Global Franchise Opportunity in Entrepreneur Magazine's 'Franchise 500' rankings.

• 3

In 2008, the SUBWAY® chain was ranked the number one global franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine, based on research and analysis of franchises located in the United States.

• 4

More than 70% of new SUBWAY® franchises are sold to existing SUBWAY® owners.

• 5

The Low Fat range of Subs is popular with customers all around the world.

At launch, the SUBWAY® chain's "Under 6" line of Sub sandwiches was promoted in the US and Canada through a series of television commercials and public appearances featuring Jared Fogle, a college student, who lost 17.5 stone eating nothing but SUBWAY® sandwiches for a year. Jared has a huge following in the US and Canada... known as Jared's Army, all of whom have lost substantial weight by incorporating the low-fat, full taste line of SUBWAY® sandwiches into their diet.