Edith/Maddie here, with our last August Wicked Wednesday.
I was surprised to learn that August is National Sandwich Month! Did you know? Here’s what the National Day Calendar web site has to say about sandwiches:
The basic concept of the sandwich long predates the Earl of Sandwich, the real-life 18th-century aristocrat who reportedly loved them, and gave them their modern name. The ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder is said to have wrapped lamb-meat and bitter herbs between two pieces of matzoh (unleavened bread) during Passover. Early versions of the “wrap” have also been found in Asia and Africa. The sandwich grew in popularity among aristocrats in the 18th and 19th centuries. Legend has it they were popularly shared, held with one hand, during late-night gaming and drinking.
Every culture has its version of a sandwich. Think burritos, anything stuffed into pita bread, chapati wrapped around chutney and masala vegetables, puffy dimsum dumplings, Thai fresh rolls, even rice packed into a triangular seaweed packet in Japan. I know in my house, once my tomatoes ripen in August, Hugh makes a BLT every single day.
Wickeds, what’s your favorite sandwich? How about your protagonist’s? Does it change depending on the season? Add a picture if you have one!
Barb: I love sandwiches. Maybe not as much as Joey on Friends, but I have been known, frequently, as my husband goes through a list of exotic food options, to moan, “Can’t we just have a sandwich?” For decades, living in Massachusetts, I would complain, “I haven’t had a good sandwich since I left Philadelphia.” (A town which offers marvelous sandwiches, btw, even though they are eclipsed, reputationally, by hoagies and cheese steaks.) Favorite sandwich? Easy, a grilled corned beef Rachel from Reins Deli in Vernon, CT. Julia’s favorite? Has to be lobster roll from Shannon’s Unshelled in Boothbay Harbor, ME.
Liz: I have to go with Julia, Barb – I love a good lobstah roll! Maddie is a fan of them too, especially since she hadn’t had New England lobster for a decade while she was living on the west coast.
Julie: In August my friend Tom used to take fresh Italian sub rolls, slather then with fresh pesto, vine ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. He’d wrap the whole thing in foil and throw it on the grill before a cookout. He’d cut them into small slices, and that would be an hors d’oeuvre. Tom was an amazing cook, and the rest of the dinner was always wonderful, but those sandwiches are what I remember best about my late and much missed friend. In The Plot Thickets, Ernie is stress baking bread and sandwiches take on a central role. Had I but known I would have set the book in August!
Sherry: Yum, Julie! That sounds delicious. Anyone who has read my garage sale mysteries know that Sarah loves her Fluffernutter sandwiches. I’d never heard of them until we moved to Massachusetts. I love a lobster roll in the summer and a Reuben in the winter! Oh, heck — if it’s good I’d eat either in any season. The lobster roll below certainly isn’t typical of how New England style lobster rolls are served which is usually on a top-split hot dog bun. It’s from Twin Seafoods in West Concord, MA and was so delicious.
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Edith/Maddie: I love a good BLT, but I try to restrict my consumption of bacon to once a week during tomato season, even though Hugh eats one every day when the tomatoes are ripe in the garden. I’ll eat cheese and avocado any time, anywhere, and a trusty peanut butter and lettuce is a great impromptu lunch (yes, that’s the only thing I put on my PBs).
Jessie: I am going to have to agree with Sherry about Reubens! If I visit a restaurant for the first time and it has a Reuben, that is what I always order. When at home my favorite sandwich is
Readers: Favorite sando? Make us drool!
Plain ham and cheese mustard on one side, mayo on the other. Second favorite is grilled cheese and if I want to get fancy, I put bacon on it.
Mmm, bacon!
I grew up on Fluffernutters and I still have one every now and then. I just love them. You guessed it, I was born and bred a MA girl or as I say born a MA driver.
Apparently!
I’m with Sherry’s Sarah on the good ole Fluffernutters!! Nothing wrong with a PB&J, either. I am a bread addict lol! I like to buy those fresh Italian sub rolls like Julie mentioned and fill them with wicked sharp cheeses, veggies, give them a pop in the toaster oven – yummmm!!
Toasted can make all the difference.
Because I don’t tend to cook much anymore, I eat a lot of sandwiches. And I’m good with that. Less than 5 minutes to make and I’m filled up. Plus…a lot less cleanup.
If I’m making something at home, I tend to favor ham, turkey or roast beef (all with cheese, of course). I don’t garnish the sandwich with anything but mustard.
If I’m just grabbing a sub from somewhere (not exactly a sandwich but still) I favor turkey or steak & cheese.
A good roast beef sandwich is fabulous.
Oh, I love a good BLT….maybe with avocado.
I’ll eat avocado on anything!
We use avocado instead of lettuce!
Favorite sandwich in the summer has to be a BLT with fresh out of the garden tomatoes. In the winter, I’ll take a pulled pork sandwich that hubby’s taken all day smoking the pork shoulder until it’s fork tender and smoked just right.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
That pulled pork sounds amazing, Kay.
I also try not to eat bacon excessively, but I think the best sandwich I ever had was turkey and bacon, with fresh tomato, lettuce, smoked gouda, and stone-ground mustard on a whole wheat bread.
Mmm. Now I want a sandwich.
So do I!
Lobster roll certainly comes to mind, but I never really think of it as a sandwich. I love liverwurst, Swiss cheese and onion, and peanut butter and mayonnaise. Yes, mayonnaise. It is hard to imagine, but the combination is magical. I haven’t even had breakfast yet and now I want a sandwich!
I agree about the PB and mayo. When I was a kid I would eat PB and butter sandwiches. Yummy!
I will join any of one of you for any of the sandwiches the writers have mentioned. I also love Reubens but haven’t been to Reins in years. My husband has a different type of sandwich for lunch every day.
A multi-sandwich lunch!
I absolutely love a good Reuben sandwich. I’ll order that just about everytime. At home, a ham and cheese popped into my panini maker is a favorite. I would love to try a lobster roll but it’s not on any menus here in the Midwest that I’ve seen. If I ever get to New England, especially Maine, I am going to get one. That should be authentic.
A panini maker sounds fun, Laurie.
My favorite sandwich is absolutely Eggplant Parm. However, at home it is easier to make a flatbread something—like leftover chicken parm shredded with sauce and cheese. Or a pizza flatbread, or a cheesesteak flatbread. Flatbreads are an obsession!
Sounds like it – and a yummy one!
I love sandwiches. I typically have a sandwich for lunch on work days. Easy to eat and easy to bring into the office (now easy to make since I’m still working from home). Right now, it’s typically a PB&J. And I’m still mourning the fact that Quizzno’s are hard to find. I loved that chain’s toasted sandwiches, but not enough to drive out of town to get one since all of the locations here in town closed.
I’ve never eaten at a Quiznos.
There’s a woman at our local farm market who makes Cuban sandwiches to order. They are so good.
I love a good BLT sandwich with garden tomatoes in the summer. Any other time its a PB&J! Yum!
I enjoy Reuben sandwiches. I also like making sandwiches without bread. I use ham or roast beef, and add sauces. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
To me my favorite sandwich was back when I was in college and we would go to Togos (near San Jose State University) and grab a roast beef sandwich which at that time cost $5 but you would get a large hoagie filled with mayo and roast beef. It was always standing room only but so worth it.