It was a lazy afternoon when my friend Colin confidently declared, “You call that a sandwich? That’s just a glorified taco!” As the debate erupted like a sudden summer storm, our group was split down the middle; with some staunchly defending the classic peanut butter and jelly while others passionately argued for the legitimacy of the hot dog. This sparked a lively conversation that made me realize just how subjective our definitions of the sandwich can be. What exactly qualifies as a sandwich? Is it just about having meat between two pieces of bread, or is it more about having a vast variety of fillings with starch? Although there are many subjective answers, a sandwich is defined as a food that has starch on the top and bottom, with filling in between, but is not open faced nor wrapped.
It’s crucial to clarify that the concept of “sandwiching” something -squeezing food on two or more sides- is distinct from what we traditionally consider a sandwich. If we follow the logic of “sandwiching,” foods like hotdogs and subs might sneak into the sandwich club. However, the heart of the matter lies in the use of starch. This starch can come from various foods, such as bread, tortillas, bagels, bagels and even cookie layers like those found in Oreos. According to the “cube rule,” a food can be categorized based on how its starch encases its filling: foods like hotdogs, which are enclosed on three sides fall into the taco category rather than the sandwich category (Brandon). Picture this: a sandwich must have starch on the top and bottom, not just on the sides or covering the inside, and it cannot be open-faced. When a food is enclosed on three sides, it becomes a taco; when it’s covered on all sides, it becomes a wrap. This means that, according to my definition… The hot dog isn’t a sandwich at all! The widely popular food around the globe, even legally classified as a sandwich by New York… is a taco?
Traditional examples of sandwiches include ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and Cuban sandwiches. All of these have starch enveloping both the top and bottom, along with some sort of filling inside. While some argue that a sandwich must contain meat, this perspective excludes delicious options like the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a beloved staple food from any American’s childhood. It makes more sense to define a sandwich as any food with filling rather than restricting it to meat, as this broader definition would apply to more varieties that the culinary world offers.
Unlike the traditional examples, there are some foods that exist in the gray area of sandwiches. Specifically, Oreos, ice cream sandwiches, shawarma wraps, hot-dogs, and subs challenge this definition. By applying sandwich criteria to each of these examples; it can be concluded that the sub, the shawarma wrap, and the hot-dog are not sandwiches. When we take this a step further, if you split a hard taco shell in half and still maintain the same filling, it would be a sandwich.
Some other cases of items not considered sandwiches by following the criteria are open-faced sandwiches. Some might not call toast a sandwich, and by that logic, bruschetta shouldn’t be considered a sandwich either. Food writer Bee Wilson notes that a true sandwich must “fully envelop its contents” (Wilson 45). Any piece of starch that does not cover fillings on top and bottom is not a sandwich. No matter what toppings that you could have on the piece of toast, it would not be a sandwich.
When someone asks you the age-old question at a party: what is a sandwich? You can be a culinary detective scrutinizing the food to uncover the truth. Remember, a sandwich is a food that has starch on the top and bottom, with any filling in between, but isn’t like those hot-dogs or bruschettas that you might’ve just eaten. It’s pretty interesting to think that something as simple as a sandwich can spark such passionate debates among our friends. Maybe we can finally end the heated debate: what truly makes a sandwich?
Citations:
Sands, Chris. “The US States Where Hot Dogs Are Legally Sandwiches.” Food Republic, Food Republic, 22 Jan. 2024, www.foodrepublic.com/1493160/hot-dog-sandwich-law-us-states/#:~:text=For%20some%20states%2C%20that’s%20enough,be%20taxed%20like%20other%20sandwiches.
“The Cube Rule.” The Cube Rule, cuberule.com/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Wilson, Bee. Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat. Basic Books, 2012.