Lady&Mister Chef
© 2013 Cristian Lucisano Editore Lady&Mister Chef
Reading - Section 3
Sandwich
The appetising synthesis of a whole meal
On the Concise Oxford Dictionary, a sandwich is defined as: two slices of bread with meat or other relish between (ham, egg, caviar, cucumber, etc.). This definition matches the Italian one written in Devoto-Oli dictionary and in the French Larousse: as a matter of fact, a sandwich is an international kind of snack, appreciated by consumers from different countries as it has the possibility of adapting to every food tradition.
But, where does its English name come from? It comes from Lord Sandwich, a noble Englishman who was fond of playing cards and spent all his time sitting at the card-table. His man-servant seeing that his lord refused to give up playing even at meal-times, thought to provide a remedy for the situation and created a new kind of meal, made with any kind of nourishing food gathered inside two slices of bread.
By this means, lord Sandwich was able to have meals regularly, without leaving his beloved cards.
Since then, bread stuffed with various fillings is called sandwich.