Mitraillette

Mitraillette

A mitraillette
Alternative names	Américain [1] [2]
Type	Sandwich
Course	fast food
Place of origin	Belgium [1]
Region or state	Brussels
Serving temperature	hot (filling) room temperature/ warmed (baguette)
Main ingredients	Bread, meat, fries, various sauces
Media:Mitraillette

A mitraillette (French pronunciation: [mitʁajɛt] , literally "submachine gun") is a type of sandwich in Belgium commonly served at friteries and cafés. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]} It is popular among students. ^[8]

It is thought to have originated in Brussels, but is also popular in Flanders, Wallonia, and the Nord region of France, where it is also known as an "Américain" (literally an "American"). ^{[1] [9]}

Composition

A typical mitraillette consists of: ^{[2] [3] [4] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]}

• Half a baguette (or sometimes a smaller version of a baguette).
• Fries
• Fried meat (such as sausage, burger, or steak). The type of meat available varies with the friterie. ^[18]
• Sauce, such as mayonnaise, ketchup, sauce andalouse, garlic sauce, or bearnaise sauce.

Crudités may be included (grated carrot, fresh lettuce, tomato slices), as well as cheese ^[19] and cabbage. ^{[20] [21]}

Originally mitraillettes contained only a sausage or sliced meat. Alternatives quickly became available.

In popular culture

After the Brussels bombings in March 2016, images of the sandwich were shared across social media in Belgium and abroad as a sign of friendship and humour. ^[22]

In December 2020, former Top Chef (France) contestant Jean-Philippe Watteyne opened a pop-up mitraillette restaurant in Mons. ^[23]

In November 2021, DH Les Sports + reported that a friterie in Etterbeek sells Belgium's longest mitraillette, measuring 130 centimetres (51 in). ^[24]

In 2025, BetUS.com reported extended queues for a AUS$27 (€16.32) steak mitraillette at the Australian Open. ^[25]

See also

• List of sandwiches
• Chip butty, the English equivalent
• Gatsby (sandwich), a South African equivalent to the mitraillette
• French tacos, a French fast-food item containing similar ingredients wrapped in a flour tortilla
• Horseshoe sandwich, a ground beef and fries sandwich from the U.S. state of Illinois
• Chopped cheese, sloppy joe, and roti john, select examples of ground beef sandwiches

References

1. Daugherty, Jamel (2 July 2010). "The American Sandwich". Northern Virginia Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
2. Van De Poel, Nana (1 December 2016). "Belgian Food Explained, The Mitraillette". TheCultureTrip.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
3. Patton, Leslie (15 February 2010). "Belgium's Dutch and French-speakers unite on fries". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
4. Antonation, Mark (9 October 2014). "Mowed down by the mitraillette sandwich at manneken frites". Westword . Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
5. Bethune, Meredith (9 September 2015). "The Early Word on The Airedale in Columbia Heights". [eater.com]. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
6. LeBan, Craig (23 February 2012). "In Belgium with Craig LeBan" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 29 September 2016– via Newspapers.com.
7. "10 ways to experience Belgium on a budget". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022.
8. Nuyens, Sarah (31 October 2016). "Visiter Bruxelles sous un autre angle" [See Brussels from a different angle]. DHnet.be (in French). Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
9. Vanden Wijngaert, Geert (15 February 2010). "Belgium Fries Forever". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
10. Malhotra, Saira. "La Mitraillette (Belgian Machine Gun) Sandwich Recipe". Marcus Samuelsson. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
11. Housenger, Teri (31 January 2010). "Your Vacation in Lights: Belgium's beer, chocolates and historical sites enliven Oakton couple's vacation". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
12. Judkis, Maura (18 September 2015). "The Airedale scores, if you're a soccer fan or soft-serve aficionado". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
13. Schrerer, Josh (18 March 2015). "Future Nosh: L.A. Needs the Belgian "Submachine Gun" Sandwich". Los Angeles Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015.
14. Hosie, Rachel (19 May 2017). "12 Best Sandwiches from around the World" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
15. Speer, Christine (2005). "Ale & Hearty". Indianapolis Monthly . Vol. 28, no. 14. pp. 278–280. EBSCOhost   17739222.
16. "Have no fear, your famous Belgian fries are safe from any ban, EU tells Belgium". thestar.com. 20 June 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017.
17. "17 Carb-On-Carb Sandwiches That Understand the Beauty of Bread". The Takeout. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022.
18. Sietsema, Robert (19 February 2019). "Behold a Rich Roast Pork Sandwich Overstuffed with Fries in Bushwick". Eater NY . Archived from the original on 19 February 2019.
19. "Daily Delivery Tour: Take a Bite of France with these Waimai Options". TheBeijinger.com . 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022.
20. Musgrave, Sarah (21 July 2020). "Mitraillette takes comfort food to a new level". Montreal Gazette (published 28 November 2012). Retrieved 21 July 2020– via Newspapers.com.
21. Henry, Hugues (10 October 1998). "La 1ère Mitraillette sur le Web!" [The 1st Mitraillette on the Web!] (in French). Frites.be. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
22. White, Alan; Sénécat, Adrien (22 March 2016). "Belgians Are Breaking Out These "Machine Guns" To Mock Terrorists". BuzzFeedNews.com . France. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
23. "Un ancien candidat de Top Chef ouvre le premier restaurant de mitraillettes au monde" [Former 'Top Chef' Contestant Opens World's first Mitraillette Restaurant]. So Soir (in French). 10 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
24. Ma., Ro. (20 November 2021). "La plus grande mitraillette de Belgique est etterbeekoise! "Les gens viennent de très loin", assure le jeune frituriste bruxellois" [Belgium's biggest mitraillette is from Etterbeek! "People come from afar", swears the young Brussels chipper".]. DH Les Sports + (in French). Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
25. "There's a $27 Sandwich Taking Over the Australian Open". BetUS.com . 22 January 2025. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.