Hot Brown facts for kids
The Hot Brown was first served at Louisville's Brown Hotel
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| Type | Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Created by | Fred K. Schmidt, Brown Hotel |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Turkey, bacon, Mornay sauce |
| Variations | Some versions also use ham, pimentos and/or tomatoes |
A Hot Brown sandwich is a yummy, hot, open-faced sandwich. It was first made at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. A chef named Fred K. Schmidt created it in 1926. This sandwich was a new idea for late-night meals. People usually ate ham and eggs, but this was a tasty change!
What's in a Hot Brown?
A Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich. This means it has no top slice of bread. It usually has slices of turkey breast and crispy bacon. Sometimes, it also includes ham.
All these ingredients are placed on white toast. Then, it's covered in a rich, creamy sauce called Mornay sauce. This sauce is a type of white sauce with cheese, often Cheddar cheese or American cheese. The sandwich is then baked or broiled. It cooks until the bread is crunchy and the sauce turns a little brown.
Sometimes, people add tomato slices or mushrooms on top. When Fred K. Schmidt first made the Hot Brown, sliced turkey was special. Turkey was usually only eaten during holidays. The first Hot Brown had turkey on toast with Mornay sauce. It was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and broiled until bubbly. Then, pimento and bacon strips were added. It quickly became super popular at the Brown Hotel!
Other Sandwiches Like It
There are a few other sandwiches that are similar to the Hot Brown.
- The "cold brown" is a different kind of sandwich. It has baked chicken or turkey, hard-boiled egg, lettuce, and tomato. These are placed on rye bread and covered with Thousand Island dressing. It's not very common anymore.
- In St. Louis, there's a sandwich called the Prosperity Sandwich. It was created at the Mayfair Hotel in the 1920s. It's still served today and is sometimes called a "hot brown."
- The Turkey Devonshire is another similar dish. It first appeared in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1930s.
Hot Browns on TV!
The Hot Brown sandwich has been shown on many TV shows.
- On the Food Network, it was on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. The chefs from the Brown Hotel even won against Bobby Flay! It also appeared on The Rachael Ray Show and Southern Fried Road Trip.
- The Travel Channel featured the Hot Brown on Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo. It was also on a Louisville episode of Man v. Food Nation. In 2018, it was on Food Paradise in an episode called "Sandwich Heroes."
- On PBS, the Hot Brown was in a documentary called Sandwiches That You Will Like. Chef David Chang also made his own version of the sandwich on The Mind of a Chef.
See also
In Spanish: Hot Brown para niños
