A cheese sandwich is a

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

made with

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

between slices of bread. Typically, semi-hard cheeses are used for the filling, such as Cheddar, Red Leicester, or Double Gloucester. A ''Guardian'' article described the cheese sandwich as a " British lunchtime staple." Using a pie iron or frying pan can transform the cheese sandwich into a grilled cheese. When a meat sandwich is prepared, the cheese becomes an accompaniment, and the sandwich is known by other names such as a

ham sandwich A ham sandwich is a common type of sandwich. Ham sandwich may also refer to: * Ham Sandwich (band), an Irish indie rock band * Ham Sandwich (song), "Ham Sandwich" (song), by Getter, 2019 * "Ham Sandwich", a 1963 short story by James H. Schmitz * ...

or tuna sandwich. If the cheese is melted on such a sandwich, it is often referred to as a melt sandwich.

History

While the exact origin of the cheese sandwich is not documented, some interpretations of William Shakespeare's 1602 play, ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'', suggest that the line "I love not the humour of bread and cheese" could be the first written reference to a cheese sandwich. However, this interpretation is speculative and not widely accepted as a definitive reference to a cheese sandwich. In January 1889, in Greenville, Pennsylvania, Henry Hoffman, George Smith, and Teddy Atkins participated in a cheese sandwich eating contest. Hoffman won the contest by eating 16 sandwiches in 15 minutes.

Variants

Popular British variants of the cheese sandwich include the cheese and pickle sandwich, the cheese and tomato sandwich, and the cheese and onion sandwich. The grilled cheese is a popular variation of the cheese sandwich, in which the sandwich is heated until the cheese melts. In the southern United States, the pimento cheese sandwich is a traditional favorite. An Italian variation is the

carrozza Carrozza (foaled 1954) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career lasting from May 1956 until July 1957, the filly ran seven times and won three races for her owner Queen Elizabeth II. As a three-year-old she finished fourth in the ...

, a mozzarella cheese sandwich coated in egg and flour and then fried.

Popularity

By 2014, the cheese sandwich was declining in popularity in the United Kingdom. A survey of 2,000 adults' eating habits conducted by YouGov in December 2014 found that 55% of British adults had not eaten a cheese sandwich during the previous week. In response, in 2015, Anchor Cheddar launched a campaign using a bus designed to look like a cheese sandwich to encourage the consumption of this classic food. In 2017, a survey by

YouGov YouGov plc is a international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm headquartered in the UK with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. History 2000–2010 Stephan Shakespeare and Nadhim ...

found that 36% of British people said cheese was their favorite sandwich filling. In 2018, another survey of 2,000 British people found that a plain cheese sandwich was the most popular type of sandwich. However, by 2020, a similar study showed that the plain cheese sandwich had become less popular, with the bacon sandwich emerging as the new favorite.

Health warnings

In 2008, the Food Standards Agency warned that a cheese sandwich contains more than half the recommended daily amount of

saturated fat A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds between the carbon atoms. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone, and fatty acids that each cont ...

. In 2012, Action on Salt campaigned for cheese sandwiches to carry a health warning. The group reported that the high quantities of salt in the main ingredients of a cheese sandwich could lead to children consuming an excessive amount. In response, the Dairy Council stated that it was incorrect to claim that cheese sandwiches are not healthy. Action on Salt later retracted the press release, citing an error.

Research

A study by Len Fisher at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

in 2003 found that the optimal thickness for the filling in a cheese sandwich depends on the type of cheese used, and that the sandwich should be made with a light spread of

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a Spread (food), spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The ...

to enhance the flavor of the cheese. This research has been criticized as "frivolous".

In popular culture

The 1903 British short silent

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

, ''The Cheese Mites'', features a man making a cheese sandwich and examining it with a

magnifying glass A magnifying glass is a convex lens—usually mounted in a frame with a handle—that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. A magnifying glass can also be used to focus light, such as to concentrate the Sun's radiation to create ...

as its main storyline. In the 2001 film Freddy Got Fingered, the main character, Gord (played by Tom Green), works at a cheese sandwich factory.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheese Sandwich American sandwiches British sandwiches Cheese dishes World cuisine