There's a reason I'm writing this post immediately after having breakfast, and it is this: I knew, even before watching the video I am about to tell you all about, that to do otherwise would be to subject myself to an unnecessary hardship. In short, it's a video featuring 13 sandwiches from around the world, and it's going to make you really, really hungry. Seriously, you guys. They're that mouthwatering.
We have the web series Food, People, Places to thank for this delectable video, which is full of pretty much all the lunch inspiration you're going to need for the next two weeks. Fun fact: Although legend has it that the sandwich as we know it was popularized in England during the 18th century by John Mantagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, the actual concept of putting filling between bread has been around for substantially longer. According to History.com, Monatgu likely got his inspiration from the mezze he ate during a trip to the Mediterranean; furthermore, some timelines date the sandwich's origins all the way back to the first century BC.
So let us pay our respects to the not-so-humble sandwich by drooling over 13 global options. Sure, some of the sandwiches seen in this video may not be groundbreaking — the chicken-avocado aioli one, for example, is definitely enjoyed in places beyond simply Australia — but some of them? Well, let's just say that I learned a few new tricks today. Delicious, sandwich-tastic tricks.
Here are the five picks that I'm craving the post right now; scroll down to watch the full video. Yum.
1. The Gatsby
Named for F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, the Gatsby is a hoagie-esque delicacy that's particularly popular in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The fillings vary, but they pretty much always involve a whole bunch of chips or French fries, making it not too dissimilar from a chip butty. The Gatsby seen here looks like it's filled with piripiri, steak, ham, lettuce, and (of course) chips and topped with a dollop of ketchup.
2. Smørrebrød
An open-faced sandwich from Denmark, “smørrebrød” technically just refers to the base of it — a slice of buttered rye bread (the term comes from “smør og brød,” or “butter and bread). The toppings, called pålæg, might consist of cold cuts, meat, fish, cheese, or other spreads; in this case, it looks like they've gone with some smoked salmon. Add a little garnish (the sprig of greenery here looks like dill to me), and you've got a tasty and pretty-looking lunch.
3. Bahn mi
When I still lived in Brooklyn, there was this little hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese sandwich shop about four blocks away from my apartment. They made the most out-of-this-world bahn mi I have ever eaten, and even though I haven't lived there for two years now, I still miss it. I dream about it.
Anyway, baguette made its way to Vietnam during its French colonial period (I know, I know — colonialism is no good), which later gave rise to a sandwich filled with all sorts of deliciousness: Pate, cilantro, cucumber, carrot, and meats like pork belly. Here, we're looking at one filled with what looks like all those things, plus some red cabbage and maybe some daikon.
4. Choripan
My favorite thing about the choripan is that its name is a portmanteau (I do love a good portmanteau): It's the result of mashing together “chorizo” and “pan,” or the name of a particular type of sausage and “bread.” You'll be unsurprised, therefore, to find that a choripan consists of crusty bread stuffed with chorizo and… well, kind of whatever else you want to put in there. Chimichurri sauce is a popular pick. You won't get the same choripan throughout South America, though; it varies from country to country, although you'll likely encounter some form of it in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
5. Zapianka
A Polish creation, the zapianka falls under the heading of “Simple, Yet Effective”: Take some crusty bread, spread some sauteed mushrooms and maybe onions on it, top it with cheese, and stick it in a toaster oven or under a broiler until the cheese melts. Voila: A fabulous open-faced sandwich. I usually pass on the ketchup on this one, which kind of makes it a vegetarian version of a cheese steak.
Check out the full video here:
Images: Pabo76/Flickr; Food, People, Places/YouTube (5)
