The sandwich

Almost everyone knows that the sandwich is named after (spoilt little Earl!) The Earl of Sandwich. But was he really responsible for this fantastic invention? Apparently not. The first recorded sandwich was made by the rabbi Hillel the Elder during the 1st century B.C. Before long it became a Passover tradition and, during the Middle Ages, thick blocks of coarse stale bread called "trenchers" were used instead of plates. Clearly the forerunner of our more dainty. open-faced sandwiches. But since there was no Earl of Sandwich yet What did they call these things?! In writings of the times, it was simply "bread and meat" or "bread and cheese". Not very imaginative. But even Shakespeare thought it was OK. In the very Wives of Windsor he wrote: "I love not the humour of bread and cheese" (whatever that means) So now we are in the 1760's and London, England There are two stories about John Montague, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich He was either a serious gambler or a workaholic. Either way, beef between two slices of bread kept him going without having to stop whatever he was doing. Soon all the fancy people were doing sandwiches And everyone else wasn't far behind These days sandwiches come in all shapes and sizes and are the number one use of bread. So, let's eat!