Lettuce Sandwich
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A lettuce sandwich is a wrap with lettuce substituted for the bread, or a sandwich with a filling consisting primarily of lettuce. It should not be confused with other sandwiches that use lettuce as one of many ingredients, such as the
BLT A BLT is a type of sandwich, named for the initials of its primary ingredients, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It can be made with varying recipes according to personal preference. Simple variants include using different types of lettuce or tomato ...
sandwich or the tomato and lettuce sandwich. The lettuce sandwich has a long history in both the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It has been used as a metaphor to represent things like mundanity, weakness and poverty. In more recent times, the lettuce sandwich, including lettuce
hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
s have symbolized diets including the keto diet.


History

The lettuce sandwich was mentioned in print as early as 1894 in ''The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine''. The lettuce sandwich (bread with a lettuce filling) was a common food in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
during the first half of the 20th century. The “Veggie Delight” sandwich from Subway restaurants is an example of a fast food version of the Lettuce Sandwich. Lettuce sandwiches have been served at fine luncheons, The lettuce sandwich (bread with lettuce filling) is also an old-fashioned English food. Lettuce sandwiches are still eaten in the US and elsewhere.


Preparation


Bread and lettuce

When making a bread and lettuce sandwich, the
bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
is sometimes
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 ...
ed or spread with
mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...
, and then lettuce is placed between the two slices of bread.


Breadless lettuce sandwich

To prepare a breadless lettuce sandwich, roll any filling inside a large leaf of lettuce or place it between two leaves of lettuce. The west-coast
hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
chain In-N-Out offers a lettuce sandwich variation called "the Protein" or "Protein Style" on their hidden menu. It is a hamburger patty wrapped in lettuce instead of the traditional bun.


Metaphors

The lettuce sandwich has also become a cultural
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
to represent something unattractive, unappealing, weak, or mundane. In this sense, the term "limp (or soggy) lettuce sandwich" is often used. Being on a "lettuce sandwich diet" refers to getting by on the bare minimum with absolutely nothing more than the necessities of life. The lettuce sandwich is sometimes indicative of
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
or hardship, and also represents a lack of sufficient nourishment. The lettuce sandwich is considered a humble, tasteless food. It can be used to represent disappointment as in "life need not be a lettuce sandwich over the sink".


Health benefits

A lettuce sandwich has been claimed to be a sleep-inducing remedy for
insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
. Lettuce sandwiches (no bread) are also eaten to promote
weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...
. Lettuce sandwiches (bread filled with lettuce) can also be a good food choice for the health-conscious. The lettuce sandwich (bread filled with lettuce)—which contains no meat—is mentioned in a book about
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
diets.


Health risks

There has been a death attributed to eating lettuce sandwiches contaminated with the '' E. coli'' bacteria.


See also

*
BLT A BLT is a type of sandwich, named for the initials of its primary ingredients, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It can be made with varying recipes according to personal preference. Simple variants include using different types of lettuce or tomato ...
* Lettuce soup *
List of sandwiches Sandwiches are a common type of lunch food often eaten as part of a packed lunch. There are many types of sandwiches, made from a diverse variety of ingredients. The sandwich is the namesake of John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, a British statesman ...
* Toast sandwich * Watercress sandwich


References

{{Sandwiches Sandwiches Lettuce Vegetable dishes Vegetarian cuisine