In the 1800s, sandwiches were not a common item for meals. Bread was usually homemade and all bread, even from bakeries, had to be sliced. Pre-sliced bread wasn’t available until 1928. The bread was almost always buttered prior to adding the fillings in order to keep the ingredients from soaking into the bread and making it soggy.

INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

Certain vegetables may be used with bread and butter to make very appetizing sandwiches. The vegetables most often used for this purpose are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and onions.

Generally, when vegetables are to be used for sandwich filling, the sandwiches should be made immediately before they are to be served, as they are apt to become moist if they are allowed to stand very long.

An exception to this is celery sandwiches, which are made in the form of rolls and which must stand piled close together for some time in order for the butter to become hard enough to stick them together.

Bread for sandwiches should be of fine even grain and twenty-four hours old, except for rolled sandwiches. Then it must be moist enough to be pliable.

Sometimes it is well to wrap the loaves to be used for sandwiches in damp cloths for three or four hours before preparing.

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.

When mayonnaise dressing is used, put sandwiches together just before serving.

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

To keep sandwiches moist, cover the plate with lettuce leaves, lay sandwiches on and cover with dampened lettuce leaves. 

Or, cover the plate of sandwiches with a towel wrung out of cold water and set in cool place. Or, wrap sandwiches in a damp napkin or waxed paper and place in close covered tin box or stone jar and set in cool place.

SANDWICH RECIPES:

LETTUCE SANDWICHES
Have bread made into a large, square loaf. Take off the crust from one end, butter, and then cut off a slice. Continue until you have enough slices. Take the white part of lettuce, wash and wipe it perfectly dry.

Have ready three hard-boiled eggs. Remove the yolks, put them through a sieve and rub to a perfectly smooth paste with four tablespoons of very thick cream. Add one-half tablespoon lemon juice and then stir in about four tablespoons whipped cream. Season with red pepper and add a teaspoon of salt. 

Cover slices of buttered bread with leaves of lettuce, put on a goodly quantity of dressing and then on top of this another slice of bread. This may be served in squares tied together with ribbon, or they may be pressed and cut into long narrow pieces. Of course, they must be made only a short time 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.

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.

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.

TOMATO SANDWICHES
Slice bread about one-fourth inch thick and spread the slices with butter. Peel firm red tomatoes and cut them into thin slices. Cover one slice of bread with a slice of tomato, spread this with thick salad dressing, and a little chopped onion sometimes. If desired, place a lettuce leaf over this. Cover with a second slice of bread and serve.

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
Peel and slice into thin slices a medium-sized cucumber that does not contain large seeds. Place the slices in very cold water to make them crisp. Slice bread about one-fourth inch thick and spread the slices with butter. Place thin slices of cucumber on one piece, spread with thick salad dressing, and put a lettuce leaf on top of this, if desired. Cover with the second slice of bread and serve.

ROLLED CELERY SANDWICHES
Cut one-fourth inch slices from a comparatively fresh loaf of bread.  Spread with butter and trim the crusts. Cut the stems of tender celery into pieces that are as long as the bread is wide. Place the celery on one edge of the bread, fill the center of the stem with salad dressing, and roll the celery into the bread like a jelly roll. 

Place a moist napkin in the bottom of a bread pan and stack the rolls in rows, with the loose edge down, so that they will stay rolled. When all have been placed in the pan, fold the edges of the napkin across the top and allow them to stand for a few hours before serving. This cannot be done with bread that is dry. If the sandwiches are to be served at once, the edges will have to be tied or fastened with toothpicks. In case it is desired not to use celery in rolled sandwiches, a filling of cream cheese or jam may be added after the bread is buttered and each piece then rolled in the manner explained. 

PEARL ONION SANDWICHES
Butter slices of white bread, cover with minced pearl onion pickles, and then a lettuce leaf. Spread with mayonnaise and top with a plain slice of bread. Slightly press together, trim, and cut in any desired shape.

MORE FILLINGS FOR SANDWICHES

~ Nut butter blended with strained tomato and mixed with sliced ripe olives.

~ Unroasted nut butter, chopped or sliced onions and mayonnaise dressing. 

~ Nut butter on one slice of bread and tart jelly on the other, press together.

~ Ripe olives sliced, between slices of bread spread with mayonnaise dressing. 

~ Ripe olives and tomato, chopped, mixed with cracker dust. 

~ Lima beans, mashed with butter.

~ Green peas, mashed very dry, with celery or celery salt and cream.

~ Chick peas or lentils, mashed dry. Mushrooms dried or fresh, cooked in a little water with butter, chopped, added with the liquid to peas.

~ Tender fresh spinach leaves, cut fine, a few delicate whole ones around edge, with any preferred dressing.

~ Grated raw carrot and fine sliced celery or onion, French or mayonnaise dressing.

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