International Sandwich Recipes | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

TIP OF THE DAY: Create An International Version Of Your Favorite American Sandwich

August 7, 2017 at 8:47 am · Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, Food Facts - Food History, Food Holidays, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

August is National Sandwich Month.

We love sandwiches so much, we created a glossary with the different types of sandwiches.

It is true that the Earl of Sandwich was inadvertently responsible for creating the modern English sandwich. But what we recognize as a sandwich—bread and filling—likely dates to around 9000 B.C.E., when permanent settlements were established in the Middle East.

The hunter-gatherers began to plant and harvest grain, which was turned into the first breads: unleavened flatbreads that were baked over an open fire. They were also “edible plates,” holding roasted meat or fish on the journey from pot to mouth.

People would eat “bread and cheese” or “bread and meat”; they just didn’t call it by a formal name. Check out the (sandwich history).

Since the original sandwich was Middle Eastern, put a spin on your favorite sandwich today.

Plan A: Adapt an American sandwich. Pick any international cuisine you like, and add elements of it to an American sandwich.

Examples: turkey with curried mayonnaise, curried egg salad or tuna salad, jambon de Paris and brie instead of American ham and cheese, tuna salad with feta and kalamata olives (photo #1, recipe below), etc.

Plan B: Have a sandwich that originated in another country. Examples: French croque monsieur or croque madame (photo #2), Greek gyros, Italian panini, Venezuelan arepa (photo #3), Vietnamese bánh mì (photo #4).

GREEK-INSPIRED TUNA SALAD

This recipe (photo #1) takes the chief ingredients of the popular Greek salad (horiatiki) and adds tuna, creating “Greek tuna salad.”

We adapted the recipe from one featured by Put On Your Cake Pants.

Since local tomatoes are at peak now*, enjoy hefty slices on each sandwich.

Ingredients For 2 Single-Decker Sandwiches

1 can tuna (5 ounces), drained

1/4 cup chopped cucumber (about 1 Persian cucumber)

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped (substitute other color)

1/4 cup diced red onion (or to taste)

2 tablespoons crumbled feta†

1 tablespoon kalamata olives, pitted and diced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons oil-based salad dressing (red wine vinaigrette or bottled Italian dressing)

2 leaves romaine lettuce

1 medium tomato

Dried oregano to taste

Optional seasoning: lemon zest to taste

Optional toppings, mix-ins or garnishes: anchovies, capers, pepperoncini, sardines

Bread of choice: large pita pockets, crusty loaf, multigrain

For The Dressing

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt†

1 tablespoon milk†

Salt or garlic salt, pepper and dill to taste†

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*When tomatoes are not in season, substitute 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes, mixed into the salad.

†For a dairy-free sandwich, eliminate the feta and use a red wine vinaigrette dressing.

Preparation

1. COMBINE the tuna, cucumber, feta, and dried dill in a bowl.

2. MIX the dressing in a separate bowl: Greek yogurt, milk and salad dressing. Add to the tuna mixture and still until combined.

[1] Greek tuna salad, a fusion of American tuna salad and Greek horiatiki (photo courtesy Put On Your Cake Pants).

Croque Madame Sandwich
[2] Croque madame from France: grilled jambon de Paris and gruyère cheese, dipped into beaten egg and sautéed in butter, with a fried egg on top (photo courtesy Eggs Fresh Simple).