The Club Sandwich, short for Club House sandwich, is perhaps one of the most represented elements of Americans in the eyes of the world.
For those who live the States mainly through movies, they cannot help but notice how many times they appear in typical Sunday barbecues or midnight snacks, but it’s not just “classic sandwiches”. There’s a distinctively American way of life, and a study of ingredients that altogether represent the made in USA cuisine.
The first known reference to the sandwich is a recipe published in the Evening World dated November 18, 1889, where it is described as a sandwich that would have “two pieces of Graham bread toasted, with a layer of turkey or chicken and ham between them.”
Various sources credit the chef of New York’s “Union Club” with the creation of the sandwich.
Another version says that the club sandwich was invented in an exclusive gambling club in Saratoga Springs (New York), around 1894, a men-only club where it’s said that potato chips were also born.
Some historians claim that the sandwich had only two layers and was created on a two-story train called “double decker club cars” circulating in the United States, traveling between New York and Chicago between 1930 and 1940.
The Club Sandwich was also widely promoted by the former King of England Edward VIII: it was his favorite and he had it prepared only by his (American) wife Wallis Simpson.
The original version only includes: chicken, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, and slices of toasted bread, but over time the use of turkey has become increasingly common.
Traditionally, the American club sandwich has 3 slices of bread and therefore 2 layers of filling.
The central slice serves to separate the two levels:
• 1st layer: usually lettuce, tomato, and turkey or chicken.
• 2nd layer: bacon and sometimes a bit of mayonnaise or other dressing.
Over the years, countless variants have emerged, using different ingredients as you can see in the video.
There are club sandwiches with boiled or scrambled eggs, with salmon, tuna, some cheeses, and various types of sauces.
The best bread for making the club sandwich is American sandwich bread, which has larger slices.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 servings
- Cooking methods: Grill
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 6 slices sandwich bread
- 3 slices turkey breast (thin)
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 leaves lettuce
- amount to taste mayonnaise
Tools
- 12 Toothpicks long
Preparation
Remove the crust from the bread if you use sandwich loaf.
Place the slices of bread on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (you can also brush them with butter). Toast at 212°F for about 5 minutes or until the slices are golden: be careful not to dry them out.
Grill the turkey slices, cut very thin, on a hot grill.
Now brown the bacon slices in a pan until crispy.
Wash the tomatoes and slice them, wash and dry the lettuce leaves.
Take the toasted slices of bread and spread mayonnaise on the top side of the first slice (the base), on both sides of the central slice (which separates the two layers), and if you want, also on the bottom side of the top slice, but this is optional.
1. First slice of toasted bread (with mayonnaise)
Sliced turkey or chicken
2. Second slice of bread (with mayonnaise on both sides)
Crispy bacon
Lettuce
Tomato slices
3. Third slice of bread (optional but often with a thin layer of mayonnaise)Once ready, cut the club sandwich in half diagonally.
Then pierce the sandwich with a toothpick to keep it stable, thus preventing the filling from spilling out.
The Club Sandwich in Literature:
The Club Sandwich in Literature:
The oldest written recipe dates back to 1903 and is reported in the book Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book by Isabel Gordon Curtis.
During the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, restaurants popularized the club sandwich, with particularly four including each their version in their menu.
According to the book Beyond the Ice Cream Cone-The Whole Scoop on Food at the World ’ s Fair, published in 1904 and written by Pamela J. Vaccaro, the restaurants were: Mrs. McCreaddy’s Model Restaurant, the American Inn, and they called the sandwich: “The American Inn Club”.
Another publication, published in 1929 and written by Florence A. Cowles, Seven Hundred Sandwiches, collects stories or legends about the origin of the sandwich.
Another publication, published in 1929 and written by Florence A. Cowles, Seven Hundred Sandwiches, collects stories or legends about the origin of the sandwich.
Another publication, published in 1929 and written by Florence A. Cowles, Seven Hundred Sandwiches, collects stories or legends about the origin of the sandwich.
