The Reuben sandwich combines corned beef or pastrami with sauerkraut and melted Swiss or Munster cheese. Photo © J.Java | Fotolia.

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September 2009
Updated November 2009

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Bread Products

Sandwich Glossary

Page 5: Types Of Sandwiches R ~ Z

This is Page 5 of a five-page glossary. Terms include recetas, Reuben sandwich, sandwiches de miga, sloppy joe and submarine/torpedo sandwich. Click on the black links below to visit other pages. Also see our Bread Glossary and 60+ other food glossaries.

Recetas Sandwich
See Cuban sandwich.

Reuben Sandwich This sandwich dates to the late 1920s, but no one can solve the hotly-contested origin. Most evidence points to Reuben Kulakofsky of Omaha Nebraska, who invented it at his regular poker game at the Blackstone Hotel; the hotel owner liked it so much he put it on the menu. Native New Yorkers firmly believe that credit goes to Arnold Reuben, owner of a deli on 58th Street between Madison and Park Avenues, in 1928. At any rate, a Reuben is a grilled or toasted sandwich on rye or pumpernickel with generous amounts of corned beef or pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and either Russian or Thousand Island dressing. There are regional variations, for example substituting turkey and cole slaw for pastrami and sauerkraut, but the basics consist of a meat, a slaw, a cheese and a dressing. (See photo at top left.)

Baby Reuben sandwiches make great snacks. Available from MackenzieLtd.com.

In 1956, Fern Snider, a cook at the Blackstone, entered the Reuben recipe in the first National Sandwich Idea Contest sponsored by the Wheat Flour Institute, where it took top honors and won her a trip to New York (where she most likely did not eat at Reuben’s Deli, but that information is lost to history).

Sandwich Components
A sandwich is composed of four parts: the bread, spread, filling and garnish.

Sandwiches De Miga Argentinean tea sandwiches made on thin white bread with the crusts removed; that crustless part of the bread is the “miga.” Sandwiches de miga can be single or double layered with a variety of fillings: thinly sliced meat, eggs, cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce and other vegetables, plus mayonnaise. The bread can be toasted or untoasted.

Photo by Jesus Gorriti |Wikimedia Commons.

Sandwich Loaf A large, multi-layer sandwich made to look like a cake, and frosted with colored cream cheese. The layers can be made of white or wheat bread or specialty breads (raisin, oatmeal) and filled with various salads (chicken, egg, tuna, seafood).

Photo by Travis Nygard | Wikimedia Commons.

Sloppy Joe Sandwich An American original, made of ground beef, onions, sweetened tomato sauce or ketchup and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun. A sloppy joe is a simpler version of a barbecue sandwich, which comprises shredded beef or pork and barbecue sauce. It is “sloppy” because it drips off the roll. There are print references that date to 1935, and sandwiches with ground beef date to the second half of the 19th century, as economical and nourishing fare. Early 20th century cookbooks have similar dishes by other names, including Beef Mironton, Chopped Meat Sandwiches, Hamburg A La Creole and Minced Beef Sandwich Style.

Photo by Buck Blues | Wikimedia Commons.

Spiedies
Chunks of lamb, pork, chicken, beef or venison marinated in a tart vinegar-based sauce, grilled on a metal skewer then served hot in between sliced Italian bread with extra sauce. Originally from Italy, this delicacy seems to be found only in the Broome County area of New York State. How and when spiedies came to this area remains a mystery.

Spread
The purpose of the spread is to moisten both the bread and the filling. The most common are mayonnaise and mustard, but can also include barbecue sauce, cheese sauce, chutney, ketchup, steak sauce, tahini, yogurt sauce and any number of other sauces from horseradish to salsa.

Submarine Sandwich Variously called a grinder, hoagie, hero and torpedo in other regions, the submarine or sub has at least two claims to invention, and may have plausibly occurred in both places. One is in Boston at the beginning of World War I, made by a local restaurant that served Navy servicemen stationed at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The bread was a specially baked baguette intended to resemble the hull of the submarines it was named after. Another claim credits Dominic Conti (1874–1954), an Italian immigrant who started Dominic Conti’s Grocery Store on Mill Street in Paterson, New Jersey in 1910, and named the sandwich after seeing a recovered submarine in the Paterson museum Museum Of History in 1918.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Conti’s granddaughter recounts that he was selling traditional Italian sandwiches made on a long crusty roll, filled with cold cuts, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian herbs, spices, salt and pepper. The sandwich started with a layer of cheese and ended with a layer of cheese so the bread wouldn’t get soggy.

Tavern Sandwich
A variety of sloppy joe sandwich from the Midwest consisting of unseasoned sautéed ground beef and onions mixed on a bun. It can be topped with pickles, ketchup and mustard. It is also called a loosemeat or Maid-rite.

Tea Sandwich
The bread is traditionally white, thinly sliced, and buttered. The bread crust is cut away cleanly from the sandwich after the sandwich has been prepared, but before serving. Modern bread variations might include wheat, pumpernickel, sour dough or rye bread.

Fillings are light, and are "dainty" or "delicate" in proportion to the amount of bread. Spreads might include cream cheese or mayonnaise mixtures, and the sandwiches often feature fresh vegetables such as radishes, cucumber, asparagus, or watercress. The cucumber tea sandwich in particular is considered the quintessential tea sandwich. Other popular tea sandwich fillings include pimento cheese, smoked salmon, fruit jam, curried chicken and egg salad. See finger sandwich.

Toasted Cheese Sandwich
See cheese toastie.

Torpedo Sandwich
See submarine sandwich.

Torta
A Mexican sandwich served on an oblong, crusty white sandwich roll called a bolillo or telera. Can be served hot or cold. Possible ingredients include grilled steak (carne asada), marinated pork (al pastor), fried pork (carnitas), fried fish (pescado), ham (jamón) and beef tongue (lengua). Garnish choices are equally varied including avocado, sour cream, lettuce, jalapeño, refried beans, chimichurri sauce, salsa fresca, poblano peppers, chipotle peppers, tomato and cheese. The torta is said to be Mexico's favorite fast food.

Tostada
A tostada is the Mexican equivalent of an open-face sandwich, made on a crisp tortilla instead of a slice of bread.

Vietnamese Sandwich See bánh mì. Western Sandwich or Denver Sandwich Scrambled eggs or an egg omelet cooked with green peppers, ham and onions and served hot on toast or a roll. Some culinary historians believe that it was the invention of Chinese cooks who prepared it as a snack for cowboys: an egg foo young omelet between slices of bread. It is called a Western sandwich east of the Mississippi and a Denver sandwich in the west. Wrap Sandwich A sandwich made by rolling standard sandwich fillings in a tortilla.   Go To The Article Index Above

Photo of wrap sandwich by Cloud Food | IST.

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