Tuna fish sandwich facts for kids
Tuna fish sandwich
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| Alternative names | Tuna salad sandwich, tuna sandwich |
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| Type | Sandwich |
| Course | Lunch |
| Place of origin | Various |
| Main ingredients | Tuna salad, mayonnaise |
| Ingredients generally used | Celery, onion, lettuce, tomato |
| Variations | Tuna boat, tuna melt |
A tuna fish sandwich is a popular sandwich. It is also called a tuna salad sandwich or just a tuna sandwich. This tasty meal is usually made with canned tuna. The tuna is mixed with mayonnaise to create a tuna salad. Sometimes, other ingredients like celery or onion are added. It is often served on sliced bread.
There are different kinds of tuna sandwiches. A tuna boat is served on a bun or roll. A tuna melt has melted cheese on top. In the United States, more than half of all canned tuna is used to make these sandwiches. Many people say the tuna sandwich is a classic part of growing up in America.
Contents
History of Tuna Sandwiches
The tuna sandwich became very popular in the early 1900s. But people were already making them in the 1800s. In 1893, Dell Montjoy Bradley wrote a cookbook. She included a recipe for a sandwich using imported tuna. She called it "tonno," which is the Italian word for tuna.
The tuna sandwich is seen as a symbol of American workers. Its popularity grew because of three easy-to-use foods. These were canned tuna, pre-sliced bread, and mayonnaise. Tuna canning started in the U.S. around 1904. By the 1920s, canned tuna was a cheaper choice than canned salmon.
Richard Hellmann started making a lot of mayonnaise in New York City around 1905. This was for restaurants and food businesses. By 1912, he sold mayonnaise in jars to people in stores. Commercial sliced bread was first sold in the U.S. in 1928. By 1933, most bread sold in the U.S. was already sliced.
In 1917, a cookbook called The Rose Cross Aid Cook Book included a recipe for seafood sandwiches. It had ideas for canned salmon, shrimp, and tuna. The recipe suggested putting the seafood on buttered bread with mayonnaise and a lettuce leaf. By 1924, a cookbook for large kitchens had a recipe for 50 tuna sandwiches. This recipe used canned tuna, chopped celery, and a special boiled dressing.
During World War II, canned tuna became very important. The U.S. government even listed the "Tuna Fish Salad Sandwich" as a basic food item. After the war, in the late 1940s, there was more canned tuna available. In 1950, the United States Department of Agriculture said canned tuna was a "plentiful food."
Famous American chefs like James Beard and Julia Child liked tuna sandwiches. David Rosengarten likes a very simple, finely chopped tuna salad. It is almost like a fish spread. New York City is known for having many different kinds of tuna sandwiches.
In 2021, the restaurant chain Subway faced questions about its tuna sandwiches. The company said its restaurants use "100% wild-caught tuna." They mix it with mayonnaise and serve it on fresh bread. Tests done by a food technology company confirmed that tuna was in the samples they checked.
Ingredients for Tuna Sandwiches
A tuna fish sandwich usually starts with canned tuna. This tuna is mixed with mayonnaise. Other things are often added to the mix. These can include chopped celery, pickle relish, hard-boiled eggs, onion, cucumber, sweetcorn, or black olives.
Some recipes use different ingredients instead of or with mayonnaise. These might be olive oil, Miracle Whip, salad cream, mustard, or yogurt. For toppings, people often add lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, bean sprouts, or avocado.
Different Kinds of Tuna Sandwiches
- A tuna melt has melted cheese on top of the tuna. It is often served on toasted bread. The New York Times shared a recipe for this in 1951. In 2020, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Kamala Harris even talked about how they like to make tuna melts.
- A tuna boat is a tuna fish sandwich served in a hot dog bun or a long bread roll.
- A grilled tuna sandwich uses fresh tuna instead of canned tuna. This is often a grilled Ahi tuna steak. It might be served on a special bun. The restaurant chain The Habit Burger Grill serves a grilled Ahi tuna filet sandwich.
Nutrition Facts
Tuna is a good source of protein. It also has a lot of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. A sandwich made with 100 grams of tuna and two slices of white bread has about 287 calories. It also has about 20 grams of protein and 27 grams of carbohydrates.
Larger tuna sandwiches, like those bought from stores, might have more calories. For example, a 6-inch tuna sub from Subway has about 480 calories. It also has 20 grams of protein.
See also
In Spanish: Sándwich de atún para niños
