Unusual Sandwiches from the 1800s

Unusual Sandwiches from the 1800s

I don’t make sandwiches often, but they’re not anything like these from 1800s cookbooks. I was especially intrigued by the baked bean sandwich recipe and the one for an anchovy sandwich.

In the 1800s, bread was mostly homemade and had to be sliced evenly for sandwiches, as the first automatically sliced loaves of bread weren’t produced until 1928.

Also, plastic wrap and aluminum foil weren’t invented yet, so most sandwiches were eaten soon after they were made.

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS:

Bread for sandwiches should be at least one day old. Cut into thin slices of uniform size (dip the knife into hot water for slicing moist bread).

Do not cut the crust from the bread as a rule. It is the sweetest and most wholesome part of the bread and the slices look so “naked” without it.

Cream (not melt) the butter before spreading. It may have chopped parsley, onion or lemon juice, or other flavorings worked into it.

Sandwiches are better eaten as soon as they are made. If necessary to let them stand an hour or so, wrap the plate of sandwiches in a dampened napkin and put in a cold place so the bread will not become hard and dry. Or cover the plate with lettuce leaves, lay the sandwiches on and cover with dampened lettuce leaves.

Onion sandwiches, when carried, must be packed in a close covered box by themselves.

TOMATO AND HORSE-RADISH SANDWICHES
Mix one-fourth cup mayonnaise with one-fourth cup chopped horse-radish. Sprinkle slices of tomato with salt. Spread thin slices of bread with the horse-radish mixture, and put sliced tomato between.

ANCHOVY SANDWICHES
Mix two tablespoons creamed butter, one-half cup grated cheese, one teaspoon French mustard, one teaspoon Tarragon vinegar, and anchovy paste. Then add one tablespoon each minced olives and pickles, and salt and paprika to taste. Spread on bread.

SARDINE SANDWICHES
Use equal parts of yolks of well-cooked eggs, rubbed to a smooth paste, and the flesh of sardines, freed from skin and bones and pounded in a mortar. Season to taste with a few drops of Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, and spread as usual. Crackers may be used in the place of bread, if the sandwiches are prepared just before using. Otherwise, the crackers lose their crispness. Garnish with slices of lemon and parsley.

TONGUE SANDWICHES
Chop cold boiled tongue very fine. To each cupful, stir in two tablespoons of melted butter, a dash of red pepper, and one-half teaspoon of onion juice. Have bread sufficiently stale to cut nicely. Remove the end crust, butter and cut a very thin slice; and remove the crusts. Spread it with the tongue paste, roll each sandwich carefully, tie with narrow ribbon, and put away until wanted. These can be made several hours before serving.

BAKED BEAN AND LETTUCE SANDWICHES
Press cold baked beans through a sieve. Spread bread with butter, cover with a lettuce leaf, cover lettuce with beans, and sprinkle the beans with finely chopped pickle. Cover with a second piece of buttered bread. Brown bread or any dark bread may be used.

HAM AND OLIVE SANDWICHES
Chop lean ham fine and beat into each cupful of the minced meat a tablespoon of salad oil, a teaspoon of vinegar, a saltspoon* of French mustard, six olives chopped fine, and a teaspoon of minced parsley. Work all to a paste and spread on thin slices of white bread.

*saltspoon – a miniature spoon used with an open salt cellar for individual use before table salt was free-flowing. One saltspoon equals one-fourth teaspoon.

ONION AND PEPPER SANDWICHES
Cut bread into slices about one-fourth inch thick and spread these with butter. Slice Spanish or Bermuda onions into thin slices and cut a green pepper into thin rings. Place a slice of the onion on one piece of buttered bread and on top of this put two or three rings of green pepper. If desired, spread with salad dressing, or merely season the onion with salt and pepper. Place the second slice of bread on top, cut in half, and serve.

POTATO SANDWICHES
Mash four good-sized boiled potatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt, four tablespoons of thick cream, the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs rubbed to a smooth paste, a saltspoon of pepper, and two tablespoons of olive oil. Mix thoroughly until you have a perfectly smooth paste. Put this between slices of brown bread and butter, trim off the crusts, and cut into triangles. The top may be garnished with watercress or lettuce.

NASTURTIUM SANDWICHES
Spread thin slices of white bread with Mayonnaise. Use the petals of nasturtium flowers for filling, allowing some of the petals to come beyond the edge of the bread.

JELLY AND CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES
A sandwich that is very dainty as well as unusually good is made by using both jelly and cream cheese for filling. If a red jelly such as currant jelly is used, the appearance of the sandwiches will be better than if a light jelly or a very dark jelly is used.

Cut the bread very thin and use three slices for the sandwiches instead of two. Spread the first piece thinly with butter and spread the opposite side of the second piece with jelly. Place this on the buttered bread and spread the other side with cream cheese. Spread another piece with butter and place this on top of the cream cheese. Trim the edges if desired, and cut into narrow strips. Serve.

PIMENTO SANDWICHES
Chop fine one tall can of pimentos, two stalks of celery, eight stalks of parsley, and two onions. Then add one cup of cottage cheese, one-half cup mayonnaise, one teaspoon salt, and one teaspoon paprika. Mix well. Spread butter on one slice of rye bread and the mixture on the other slice. Cover with the second slice of bread on top and serve.

OLIVE AND CHICKEN LIVER SANDWICHES
Chop one-third olives and two-third chicken livers that have been thoroughly cooked and mashed quite smooth. Mix with thick Mayonnaise. Serve on white bread, ice cold.

OLIVE AND COTTAGE CHEESE SANDWICHES
Stone olives, or use the stuffed olives, and chop them fine. Mix with an equal quantity of cottage cheese. Make into a smooth paste with soft butter. Spread between graham or rye bread slices. Olives may be mixed likewise with grated cream cheese.

EGG AND GREEN PEPPER SANDWICHES
Take six hard boiled eggs, one green pepper, two tablespoons olive oil, one tablespoon ketchup, one-fourth teaspoon each of salt and mustard, and a little cream. Chop eggs and pepper, then mix the other ingredients and add to the chopped eggs. Moisten with cream and spread between thin slices of buttered bread. Cut in fancy shapes and keep in a damp cloth until ready to serve.

CURRIED CHICKEN SANDWICHES
Chop sufficient cold boiled chicken to make a half pint. Rub together one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of flour. Add a half cup of cold milk, and stir over hot water until you have a smooth, thick paste.

Add the chicken gradually to this, mashing and rubbing all the while. Add a level teaspoon of curry powder, a half teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of onion juice, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. When cold, spread between layers of buttered bread, trim the crusts and cut into shapes.

Almost any bits of left-over meat may be substituted for the chicken and made into sandwiches of this kind.

DEVILED CHEESE SANDWICHES
Put one pound of American cheese through your meat chopper. Add two tablespoons of tomato catsup, one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, a half teaspoon of paprika, a dash of cayenne, two tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter, four tablespoons of sherry and a half teaspoon of salt. Mix until perfectly smooth, and spread between thin slices of buttered bread. Trim the crusts and cut into triangles.

photo credit 

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Do You Have Any Favorite Sandwich Recipes? Please Leave a Comment Below.

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6 thoughts on “Unusual Sandwiches from the 1800s

  1. My favourite sandwich, much to the chagrin of my family, is banana and anchovy, preferably on slices of seeded brown bread. The anchovies aren’t fresh but in a jar, in olive oil.

    1. How unusual! That’s something I should try. A friend told me once she didn’t have much to eat during a camping trip and made a sliced orange and onion sandwich, which she enjoyed. I haven’t tried that yet, but now’s the time to experiment.

  2. Love your blog. Discovered it on Mostly Blogging. What a great idea. I’ve often wondered about the cooking practices of old. I remember looking up the first cookbook ever written. I believe it was in 1390 from the chefs for King Richard II. Interesting topic. Love to read about the old sandwiches. I may try a few 🙂

    1. I love the Mostly Blogging site and am learning a lot from Janice. I’m glad you found my blog listed there. I hope you get to try a few of the sandwich recipes and enjoy them.

  3. I rarely eat sandwiches but every now and then simply must have a grilled cheese on sourdough bread. I haven’t had one, but have heard of baked bean sandwiches and that actually sounds pretty good to me. The admonition to put onion sandwiches in a box by themselves made me LOL! The Spanish Filling and Egg and Green Pepper sandwiches sound delicious. I just remembered a sandwich my father introduced me to when I was little – a sugar sandwich. Put butter on bread and liberally sprinkle sugar on it. So unhealthy but it sure was good a very long time ago when I was a kid.

    1. Maybe some of these old sandwich recipes are familiar to some, but they’re all mostly new to me. I’ve heard of butter sandwiches with sugar, but never ate one. I did used to make mustard sandwiches when I was a kid – just bread and mustard!

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