Open sandwich

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Smørrebrød or smörgås, Scandinavian open sandwich at a cafeteria in Norway.

An open sandwich, also known as an open face sandwich, Ulrich Sandwich, open faced sandwich, bread baser, or tartine, consists of one single slice of bread with one or more food items on top of it. Technically a half bagel with a topping is an open sandwich.

In various countries

Scandinavian räksmörgås (open faced shrimp sandwich) in Stockholm.

Open sandwich is generally eaten as part of breakfast, lunch and/or supper, a slice of fresh bread or a toast, with different spreads, butter, liver paté, cheese spreads, cold cuts such as ham, bacon, salami, beef tongue, mortadella, head cheese or sausages like beerwurst or kabanos, and vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, radish, scallion and cucumber. Open sandwiches like this are consumed in Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, as well as other parts of Europe, as a regular breakfast and supper food item. The Dutch and Flemish Uitsmijter arrives on a large plate with large slices of usually white bread, topped with a selection of meats, cheeses, vegetables and possibly an egg. The dish is often served as a hearty breakfast.

Scotch woodcock, scrambled eggs on toast spread with anchovy paste.

Open sandwich is the common, traditional sandwich type in the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, and Latvia, where it is typically eaten at breakfast, as lunch or other meal.

The Scandinavian open sandwich (Danish: smørrebrød,(Norwegian: smørbrød), Swedish: smörgås) consists of one piece of buttered bread, often whole-grain rye bread (Danish: rugbrød, Swedish: rågbröd), topped with, for instance, cold steak, shrimps, smoked salmon, caviar, hard boiled eggs, bacon, herring, fish fillets, liver pâté (Danish: leverpostej,Norwegian: leverpostei) Swedish: leverpastej), and/or small meatballs. This is typically complemented by some herbs and vegetables such as parsley, cold salad, thinly sliced cucumber, tomato wedges and/or pickled beets etc on the same slice of bread. A condiment, such as mayonnaise, or mayonnaise-based dressing is also often included in some form. An old traditional replacement for butter on a piece of bread with herring is pig fat. There are many variations associated with the smørrebrød / smørbrød / smörgås and there are even special stores, cafés and restaurants (especially in Denmark) that specialize in them.

Sweet toppings are commonly used for breakfast in the Netherlands and Belgium: e.g. sprinkles, vlokken, or muisjes, next to the more widespread peanut butter, honey, jam, and chocolate spread.

In the United States an open faced sandwich generally refers to a slice of bread topped with warm slices of roasted meat and gravy, or bread topped with Welsh rarebit. This is also done in Scandinavian countries, where they eat open faced sandwiches with fried meat and fried fish quite often.

History

Open sandwiches in Vienna, with a Pfiff-size beer

During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called "trenchers", were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog, less fortunate beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were as much the harbingers of open-face sandwiches^[1] as they were of disposable dishware. As such, open-face sandwiches have a unique origin and history, differing from that of the true (multi-slice) sandwich.

Usage

The term sandwich is occasionally used (informally) in reference to open-faced sandwiches. Strictly speaking, an open-faced "sandwich" is not technically or in any true sense a sandwich, as it consists of a single slice of bread instead of two, and has toppings instead of a filling.^[2] The open-faced "sandwich" also has a unique history (as more fully described above), originating between the 6th and 16th centuries, with stale slices of bread used as plates called "Trenchers" (whereas its relative, the modern sandwich traces its roots to the Earl of Sandwich instead).^[1]

Legally, in the United States the ruling in the case of Panera Bread Co. v. Qdoba Mexican Grill established that a true sandwich (from a legal perspective) must include at least two slices of bread.^[3] An open-faced sandwich does not satisfy this condition, although many open-faced sandwiches served in diners and restaurants in the Northeast actually do pile the meat and gravy atop two overlapping slices of bread.

Gallery

Smørbrød, Norwegian open sandwich

Open-faced tuna sandwich with guacamole sauce and cherry tomatoes

Russian buterbrod with tomatoes and sprat

Czech Jednohubky

See also

• Sandwich
• Smørrebrød
• butterbrot
• French toast
• Welsh rarebit
• Ham and cheese sandwich
• Croque-monsieur
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Francesinha
• Monte Cristo sandwich
• Smörgåsbord

References

External links

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