Lettuce sandwich

Last updated
Lettuce sandwich
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]

Contents

Shanghai-style lettuce wraps with sauces at Auburn Alehouse Shanghai lettuce wraps from Auburn Alehouse.JPG
Shanghai-style lettuce wraps with sauces at Auburn Alehouse

History

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]

Preparation

Bread and lettuce

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.

Breadless lettuce sandwich

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]

Metaphors

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]

Health benefits

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]

Health risks

There has been a death attributed to eating lettuce sandwiches contaminated with the E. coli bacteria. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamburger</span> Culinary dish consisting of a beef patty between rounded buns

A hamburger, or simply 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. Under some definitions, and in some cultures, a burger is considered a sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandwich</span> Food made with bread and other ingredients

A sandwich is a dish typically consisting of meat, cheese or vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type, and allows it to be a finger food. The sandwich began as a portable, convenient food in the Western world, though over time it has become prevalent worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BLT</span> Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich

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, removing the lettuce entirely, or adding other ingredients such as a fried egg, avocado, or sprouts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finnish cuisine</span> Culinary tradition

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A club sandwich or 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. Sometimes it is sliced diagonally and is called a wedge or wedgie, a term also used for a type of submarine sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roti</span> South Asian flatbread

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open sandwich</span> Single slice of bread with food items on top

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bread roll</span> Loaf of bread served as a meal accompaniment

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rissole</span> European dish of meat covered in pastry

A rissole is "a ball or flattened cake of chopped meat, fish, or vegetables mixed with herbs or spices, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacon sandwich</span> Sandwich of cooked bacon

A bacon sandwich is a sandwich of cooked bacon. It may be spread with butter, and may be seasoned with brown sauce or tomato ketchup. 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 a similar roll as is used for hamburgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterbrot</span> Buttered bread, a German staple food

In German cuisine, Butterbrot is a slice of bread topped with butter. Also known as boterham in Dutch speaking countries, it is still considered Butterbrot or boterham 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty</span> Serving of chopped ingredients formed into a disc

A patty is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Common ground meat used include beef, bison, elk, turkey, chicken, ostrich, and salmon. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antojito</span> Mexican street food called "antojitos" in Spanish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ham sandwich</span> Common type of sandwich

The ham sandwich is a common type of sandwich. The bread may be fresh or toasted, and it can be made with a variety of toppings including cheese and vegetables like lettuce, tomato, onion or pickle slices. Various kinds of mustard and mayonnaise are also common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toast (food)</span> Bread that has been exposed to dry heat

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich</span> Sandwich popularized by Elvis Presley

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wurstbrot</span>

A Wurstbrot is a slice of bread spread with slices of lunch meat or sausage. Additionally, the bread may be buttered to taste. It is a very simple and typical German type of sandwich, generally home-made, eaten cold, and popular as a snack, packed lunch as well as for breakfast or supper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional street food</span>

Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.

References

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  13. "Foodless and Pointless Restaurants Close Shop". St. Petersburg Times. Jun 26, 1945. Retrieved 2009-01-24.[ permanent dead link ]
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  15. Miller, Betty Jean (Mar 29, 1985). "Book Offers an Escape into the Past". The Evening Independent. Retrieved 2009-01-24.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. Nevin, Charles (3 January 1999). "Captain Moonlight". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  17. Whitehead, Daniel (May 26, 2006). "Kicking the meat habit" . Retrieved 2009-01-24.