Type | Sandwich or wrap |
---|---|
Main ingredients | Lettuce, bread or filling |
A lettuce sandwich is a wrap with lettuce substituted for the bread, [1] or a sandwich with a filling consisting primarily of lettuce. It should not be confused with other sandwiches that use lettuce as one of many ingredients, such as the BLT sandwich or the tomato and lettuce sandwich. The lettuce sandwich has a long history in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It has been used as a metaphor to represent things like mundanity, weakness and poverty. In more recent times, the lettuce sandwich, including lettuce hamburgers have symbolized diets including the keto diet. [2]
The lettuce sandwich was mentioned in print as early as 1894 in The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. [2] The lettuce sandwich (bread with a lettuce filling) was a common food in the United States and England during the first half of the 20th century. The “Veggie Delight” sandwich from Subway restaurants is an example of a fast food version of the Lettuce Sandwich. [3] Lettuce sandwiches have been served at fine luncheons, [4] The lettuce sandwich (bread with lettuce filling) is also an old-fashioned English food. [5] Lettuce sandwiches are still eaten in the US and elsewhere. [6] [7] [8]
When making a bread and lettuce sandwich, the bread is sometimes buttered [5] or spread with mayonnaise, and then lettuce is placed between the two slices of bread.
To prepare a breadless lettuce sandwich, roll any filling inside a large leaf of lettuce or place it between two leaves of lettuce. The west-coast hamburger chain In-N-Out offers a lettuce sandwich variation called "the Protein" or "Protein Style" on their hidden menu. It is a hamburger patty wrapped in lettuce instead of the traditional bun. [9]
The lettuce sandwich has also become a cultural metaphor to represent something unattractive, unappealing, weak, or mundane. [10] In this sense, the term "limp (or soggy) lettuce sandwich" is often used. [11] Being on a "lettuce sandwich diet" refers to getting by on the bare minimum with absolutely nothing more than the necessities of life. The lettuce sandwich is sometimes indicative of poverty or hardship, [12] and also represents a lack of sufficient nourishment. [13] The lettuce sandwich is considered a humble, [14] tasteless food. It can be used to represent disappointment as in "life need not be a lettuce sandwich over the sink". [15]
A lettuce sandwich has been claimed to be a sleep-inducing remedy for insomnia. [16] Lettuce sandwiches (no bread) are also eaten to promote weight loss. Lettuce sandwiches (bread filled with lettuce) can also be a good food choice for the health-conscious. The lettuce sandwich (bread filled with lettuce)—which contains no meat—is mentioned in a book about vegetarian diets. [17]
There has been a death attributed to eating lettuce sandwiches contaminated with the E. coli bacteria. [7]
A hamburger, also called a burger, is a dish consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.
A sandwich is a dish typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a portable, convenient finger food in the Western world, though over time it has become prevalent worldwide.
A BLT is a type of sandwich, named for the initials of its primary ingredients, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It can be made with varying recipes according to personal preference. Simple variants include using different types of lettuce or tomatoes, toasting or not, or adding mayonnaise. More pronounced variants can include using turkey bacon or tofu in place of bacon, or removing the lettuce entirely.
Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental-style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes in some parts of the country, while the dishes elsewhere have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Evacuees from Karelia contributed to foods in other parts of Finland in the aftermath of the Continuation War.
A club sandwich, also called a clubhouse sandwich, is a sandwich consisting of bread, sliced cooked poultry, fried bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. It is often cut into quarters or halves and held together by cocktail sticks. Modern versions frequently have two layers which are separated by an additional slice of bread.
A ploughman's lunch is an English cold meal based around bread, cheese, and fresh or pickled onions. Additional items can be added such as ham, green salad, hard boiled eggs, and apple, and usual accompaniments are butter and "pickle", which in Britain denotes a chutney-like condiment. As its name suggests, it is most commonly eaten at lunchtime. It is particularly associated with pubs, and often served with beer.
Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, and Southeast African countries.
An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a typical closed sandwich.
A bread roll is a small, usually round or oblong individual loaf of bread served as a meal accompaniment. Rolls can be served and eaten whole or are also commonly cut and filled – the result of doing so is considered a sandwich in English.
Doner kebab, also spelled as döner kebab, is a dish of Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking element. The operator uses a knife to slice thin shavings from the outer layer of the meat as it cooks. The vertical rotisserie was invented in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, and dishes such as the Arab shawarma, Greek gyros, Canadian donair, and Mexican al pastor are derived from this.
A rissole is a small patty enclosed in pastry or rolled in breadcrumbs, usually baked or deep fried. The filling has savory ingredients, most often minced meat, fish or cheese, and is served as an entrée, main course, or side dish.
A bacon sandwich is a sandwich of cooked bacon between bread that is optionally spread with butter, and may be seasoned with ketchup or brown sauce. It is generally served hot. In some establishments the sandwich will be made from bread toasted on only one side, while other establishments serve it on the same roll as is used for hamburgers.
In German cuisine, Butterbrot is a slice of bread topped with butter. It is still considered Butterbrot even if additional toppings, such as cheese, spreads, or lunch meats, are added, as long as it begins with a slice of bread with butter.
A patty or burger is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world.
A chicken sandwich is a sandwich that typically consists of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, served between slices of bread, on a bun, or on a roll. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include the chicken burger, chicken on a bun, chicken on a Kaiser, hot chicken, or chicken salad sandwich.
Mexican street food, called antojitos, is prepared by street vendors and at small traditional markets in Mexico. Street foods include tacos, tamales, gorditas, quesadillas, empalmes, tostadas, chalupa, elote, tlayudas, cemita, pambazo, empanada, nachos, chilaquiles, fajitas, tortas, even hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as fresh fruits, vegetables, beverages and soups such as menudo, pozole and pancita. Most are available in the morning and the evening, as mid-afternoon is the time for the main formal meal of the day. Mexico has one of the most extensive street food cultures in Latin America, and Forbes named Mexico City as one of the foremost cities in the world in which to eat on the street.
Toast is sliced bread that has been browned by radiant heat. The browning is the result of a Maillard reaction altering the flavor of the bread and making it firmer. The firm surface is easier to spread toppings on and the warmth can help butter reach its melting point. Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable. Bread is commonly toasted using a toaster or a toaster oven. Toast may contain acrylamide caused by the browning process, which is suspected to be a carcinogen. However, claims that acrylamide in burnt toast causes cancer have not been proven.
The peanut butter and banana sandwich (PB&B), or peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich (PB,B&B), sometimes referred to as an Elvis sandwich, the Velvet Elvis, or simply the Elvis, is a sandwich with toasted bread, peanut butter, sliced or mashed banana, and occasionally bacon. Honey or jelly is seen in some variations of the sandwich. The sandwich is frequently cooked in a pan or on a griddle.
Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.