Toast sandwich facts for kids
A piece of toast sandwiched between two pieces of bread
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| Type | Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Region or state | England |
| Main ingredients | Bread, toast, butter, salt, pepper |
| 330 kcal (1382 kJ) | |
A toast sandwich is a simple sandwich that has a slice of toast inside! It's made with two slices of regular bread, and in the middle, there's a thin piece of toasted bread. This toast is often covered in butter, salt, and pepper. It might sound a bit unusual, but it's a real recipe that has been around for a long time.
Contents
Victorian Recipe: A Simple Meal
The idea for the toast sandwich comes from a very old cookbook. It was first written down in 1861 by Isabella Beeton. Her book, called Book of Household Management, was very popular.
Mrs. Beeton included the toast sandwich in a section for "invalid cookery." This meant it was a meal for people who were feeling sick. She suggested adding a little bit of pulled meat or thin slices of cold meat to the toast. She thought these additions would make the sandwich more appealing to someone who wasn't feeling well.
Economical Lunch: A Modern Comeback
In November 2011, the toast sandwich made a surprising return to the news. The Royal Society of Chemistry decided to bring back this old recipe. They did this almost 150 years after Mrs. Beeton's book first came out.
The society wanted to show how cheap this meal could be. They calculated that one toast sandwich cost only about 7.5 pence. This was during a time when many people were struggling financially. They called it "the country's most economical lunch." The society even offered £200 to anyone who could create an even cheaper meal. So many people sent in ideas that the offer had to close just seven days later! The £200 prize was given to a person chosen randomly.
Heston Blumenthal: A Chef's Twist
Even famous chefs have taken on the toast sandwich! Heston Blumenthal is a well-known chef. He serves toast sandwiches at his restaurant called The Fat Duck.
At his restaurant, 12 small toast sandwiches are served. They come as a side dish with a main meal called "Mad Hatter's Tea Party." This dish is inspired by the famous book Alice in Wonderland. Chef Blumenthal's version of the toast sandwich is much fancier. It includes ingredients like bone marrow salad, egg yolk, mustard, a special sauce called gastrique, mayonnaise, and tomato ketchup.
Media Coverage: A Strange Idea?
The toast sandwich has also been talked about in the media. Some people find the idea of a toast sandwich quite strange.
Mike Vago from The A.V. Club described it as "an extravagance of blandness." This means he thought it was very plain. An article in The Daily Meal said the toast sandwich was "just not that good."
The sandwich was also discussed on a radio show called The Leonard Lopate Show. The host, Leonard Lopate, said, "it sounds weird to me." On the game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on NPR, the panelists tried the toast sandwich. The host, Peter Sagal, joked that it was like a painting by Mark Rothko or a piece of art by Marcel Duchamp. He meant it was so simple that it made you think about what a sandwich really is!
See also
In Spanish: Sándwich de tostada para niños
