RP266 The Food of Earls?

 RP266 The Food of Earls?

What could be better than a food you can hold cleanly with your fingers? It contains vegetables, grains, cheese, eggs, and meat. It is entirely edible, leaving no mess and no waste. As far as I'm concerned, a sandwich is a perfect meal.

Many people believe that we owe the wonderful sandwich to John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich (a town in southern England). However, the history of this fabulous food is longer and more complicated than just that story.

The origin of the sandwich might date to the first century B.C., somewhere around Jerusalem. Hillel the Elder, a respected rabbi, put a mixture of chopped nuts, apples, spices, and wine between two pieces of matzo during the Passover celebration. Because he was so important in the community, this practice was repeated.

In the Middle Ages, food was often served on big, thick, stale pieces of bread called trenchers. When the real meal was finished, the soaked bread could be eaten or given to poor people or animals. Putting meat or cheese between two pieces of bread wasn't uncommon, but it didn't have a name.

Enter John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. Montagu liked to stay up late playing cards and gambling. Legend has it that in 1765, Montagu asked his cook to bring him meat tucked into bread so he could continue playing cards without getting everything greasy. Others playing the game ordered "the same as Sandwich," and the name was born! Montagu probably saw pitas and other sandwich-like creations on trips to the Mediterranean and Turkey, and this could have influenced his directions to his cook. These eastern sandwiches may have been influenced by Hillel the Elder. So the story of the sandwich comes full circle—or square, or triangle. However you like to cut it.