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An Italian panino terracina sandwich or Italian sub.

A sandwich is a food item typically made of two or more slices of leavened bread with one or more layers of meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese or jam. The bread can be used as is, or it can be coated with butter, oil, or other optional or traditional condiments and sauces to enhance flavor and texture.

The modern sandwich is named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, although the exact circumstances of the invention of the sandwich are still the subject of debate.

Sandwiches are commonly carried to work or school in lunchboxes or brown paper bags (in sandwich bags) to be eaten as the midday meal. In the UK they are taken in lunchboxes on picnics, hiking trips, or other outings. In some parts of the world, they are also served in restaurants as entrées, and are sometimes eaten at home, either as a quick meal or as part of a larger meal. When eaten as part of a full meal, sandwiches are traditionally accompanied with such side dishes as a serving of soup (soup-and-sandwich), a salad (salad-and-sandwich), french fries/chips, potato chips/crisps and a pickle or coleslaw.

The first form of sandwich is attributed to the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, who is said to have put meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs inside matzo (or flat,unleavened bread) during Passover. The filling between the matzos served as a reminder to Israelites of their forced labor constructing Egyptian buildings. For this reason, Romans referred to the meal as a "cibus Hilleli," or Hillel's Snack. ^[1] During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called "trenchers", were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog, less fortunate beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were the harbingers of open-face sandwiches.^[2]

Club Sandwich

In the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and other parts of Europe, meals comprising meat, fruit, cheese, and condiments sandwiched between bread or pastry existed well before the appearance of the word 'sandwich'. The first written usage of the word appeared in Edward Gibbon's journal, in longhand, referring to "bits of cold meat" as a 'Sandwich.' It was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat, although he was neither the inventor nor sustainer of the food. It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage, while eating without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.

The Earldom refers to the English town of Sandwich in Kent — from the Old English Sandwich, meaning "sand place".

Through the 18th century, the sandwich as popularized by Montagu remained an English dish. Initially perceived as food men shared while gaming and drinking at night, the sandwich slowly began appearing in polite society as a late-night meal among the aristocracy. The sandwich's popularity in England increased dramatically during the 19th century, when the rise of industrial society and the working classes made fast, portable, and inexpensive meals essential.^[3]

It was at the same time that the sandwich finally began to appear outside of England. In the United States, the sandwich was first promoted as an elaborate supper meal. By the early 20th century, as bread became a staple of the American diet, the sandwich became the same kind of popular, quick meal as was widespread in England.^[4]

Today, the worlds largest manufacturer of pre-packed sandwiches is Irish firm Greencore.

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• The British Sandwich Association
• "Arguments spread thick: Is a burrito a sandwich?" regarding a 2006 United States court ruling.