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Bite-Sized Sandwich History

photo of sub sandwhich filled with shrimp peppers cheese and hot sauces sitting on cutting board dressed with lemon slices and long red chile peppers

Americans eat more than 300 million sandwiches a day. That’s almost one for every person in the United States. To say sandwiches are a popular staple of the American diet is an understatement, but it wasn’t always this way.

The sandwich was invented in 1762 by an Englishman, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. He was an avid gambler and card player, and as the story goes, he asked his cook to bring him meat and bread so that he could continue playing without need of interruption. Montagu had extensively traveled to Turkey and Greece where various meats, dips and cheeses were layered with bread and eaten by hand. By the time of the Revolutionary War, the sandwich was well established in England.

It wasn’t until 1815 when a recipe appeared in an American cookbook that the sandwich began its climb in popularity.

This August, enjoy your favorite filling “sandwiched” between your favorite bread and thank John Montagu for his innovative idea.

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