How the 4th Earl of Sandwich Revolutionized Eating

The sandwich is often thought of as a simple composition of foodstuffs between two slices of bread. Yet, this mighty multilayered meal is much more than that – it is an art form, undertaken by millions of people daily in their quest for a tasty and convenient food, and elevated to to iconic status. It is a meal that is one of the most popular food items in the United States and is increasingly more well-liked across the globe.

But what isn't there to love about two pieces of bread and delicious ingredients of varying tastes on the inside? According to legend, the sandwich was first made popular in the late 18th century when the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, asked for beef to be served between two slices of bread. It may not have caught on until later – this versatile staple didn't become popular until the early 20th century – but when it did, it caught on quickly and shows no signs of slowing down.

Because of its quick and easy preparation, sandwiches have been a staple of the American diet ever since. There aren't many foods as adjustable or as universally adored as the sandwich. Whether it's a simple school lunch of peanut butter and jelly, the traditional lunchtime favorite of grilled cheese, or ham and cheese, there is something for every palate. (Just like the sports world has something for every taste, like the French basketball team that includesWembanyama and Gobert. You can watch them at the 2024 Paris Olympics starting July 26.)

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sandwich as a noun is defined as "an item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling between them, eaten as a light meal." There has been some debate as to whether or not burgers and hot dogs are sandwiches, which per the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, it most definitely is not, and while burgers lean more towards the sandwich arena, for our list, we've committed both and are instead focusing on those foods that remain in universally agreed upon sandwich territory.

In your travels across America, you may discover countless regional sandwiches, like the loosemeat, or tavern sandwich, which is made with seasoned ground beef and popular across the Midwest. Many of these delectable snacks are purely American inventions, while others were inspired by the country's long history of welcoming immigrants from around the globe; others are so universal it's hard to imagine a time when they didn't exist. (This is every state's must-try local sandwich.)

One of the first sandwiches that attained widespread popularity was the club sandwich. It's featured on menus all around the world and is a staple of hotel room service menus. This triple-decker delight is traditionally made with three layers of white toast stacked with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and turkey, with mayo as a condiment.

Some variations will add on cheese or egg or a different deli meat like ham or roast beef, but in general, the structure remains the same. While its origin remains a debate, most agree that it was invented in the 1880s at New York City's Union Club.

The BLT, or bacon, lettuce, and tomato, ranks as one of the top ten favorite sandwiches in the United States. Like many sandwiches listed here, it can be found on almost every diner's menu and is one sandwich where the quality of the ingredients matters. If you have access to fresh ripe summer tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and smoky artisan bacon (or tempeh bacon for those who don't eat meat), this is the sandwich for you. Feel free to adapt like many do and add avocado, making it the BLTA.

Just about everyone loves cheese and Americans are no different. But when combined with a sandwich, it becomes the best of both worlds, which is why this cheesy delight ranks as the number one favorite sandwich in the country. This ultimate comfort food can bring you back to your childhood and can also be made in a multitude of different ways. Whether you're a purist who prefers to keep it classic with white bread, Kraft singles, and butter or like to get creative with artisanal cheeses and elevated, gourmet add-ins like truffle oil, you really can't go wrong.

Nothing says breakfast quite like the ultimate New York City staple of the bacon, egg, and cheese, typically on a Kaiser roll or bagel. Also known as the BEC, this is not only popular stateside but around the world. Some people like to adjust the beloved ingredients by adding additional meat like ham or breakfast sausage, but tradition reigns supreme.

You may find different variations on the meat add-in where you live – like Taylor ham (also called pork roll) in New Jersey, scrapple in the Mid-Atlantic, and Goetta in the Cincinnati area. To take it up a notch, try adding in a crisp hash brown.

Bagel sandwiches are quite popular and another NYC staple is the bagel with lox and cream cheese. Typically eaten open-faced, this sandwich can also be made like a traditional sandwich for on-the-go dining. Most bagel shops and diners will offer different toppings – from onions and capers to tomatoes – but the standard is just lox and plain cream cheese, or if you're feeling daring, you can change up the cream cheese flavor.

Nothing is more American than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – although there may be some debate as to what flavor of jelly is optimal. Not only is the classic, timeless PB&J super easy to make with staples just about everyone has on hand (and is one of the first things most kids learn how to "cook"), it's delicious and just about impossible to mess up. Pro tip – put that peanut butter on both sides of the bread to avoid jelly running through the bread.

It's so beloved that it even has its own day – April 2 – which is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Although it may be surprising to learn that this tasty treat is not very popular outside of the U.S. but it's starting to catch on.

Just when you thought you had the ultimate peanut butter sandwich, along comes another variation – peanut butter, banana, and crispy bacon on toast. This sandwich, a favorite of the King of Rock & Roll himself, Elvis Presley, was made famous by the iconic singer in the 1970s. His beloved sandwich, now referred to as The Elvis, is made with a combination of peanut butter and banana (and occasionally crispy bacon) on toast.

The banana can be sliced, mashed, or caramelized, and it can be browned in a frying pan with butter or bacon fat. Some variations also include honey or jelly.

This New England staple is so popular that it's been proposed to be the official state sandwich of Massachusetts. This combination of both a lunch sandwich and dessert first appeared in the early years of the 20th century, shortly after the invention of one of its two primary ingredients, marshmallow creme, in Massachusetts. The other main component, of course, is peanut butter, and it's traditionally served on white bread. Other variations add bananas, Nutella, and/or bacon.

When the New Orleans-themed Blue Bayou restaurant at Disneyland in California added this to its menu in the late 1960s, it exploded onto the scene. An American spin on the French croque monsieur, it starts as a ham and cheese sandwich, but it takes a sharp turn from there: it's battered and either pan-fried or deep-fried, and traditionally served topped with powdered sugar, with maple syrup or preserves on the side.

Legend has it that the Reuben sandwich was invented at Omaha's Blackstone Hotel at some point in the '20s or early '30s when a guest named Reuben Kulakofsky asked for a sandwich during his weekly poker game there. The combination of corned beef, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on rye became insanely popular when added to Blackstone's lunch menu, and its popularity took off from there.

Today it's a staple on Jewish deli menus (even though it's not kosher because it combines meat and dairy), and variations include pastrami, Thousand Island dressing, and coleslaw (called the Pastrami Reuben).

The pastrami on rye is a classic American sandwich, found at delis and restaurants across the U.S. Any Jewish deli typically excels at making this one particular sandwich. Pastrami is made by first brining, then smoking, and finally steaming beef brisket (or, more traditionally, a cut called the navel), which is then sliced to order and served up hot. Good-quality pastrami should be able to stand on its own without any augmentation, but a schmear of deli mustard doesn't hurt.

Pimento cheese is a spread made by combining cheddar cheese, mayo, and pimentos (little red pickled peppers also called cherry peppers), and is a hallmark of Southern cuisine. It's said that this sandwich dates back to the early 1900s and every Southern chef seems to have their own take on it; popular additions include Velveeta, cream cheese, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and paprika.

You'll see it simply served with crackers or even dolloped atop a burger, but when sandwiched between two fluffy slices of white bread it makes for a perfect lunch.

Where the pimento cheese is a Southern staple, the lobster roll is a New England staple that typically comes in two variations: Maine-style, cold lobster tossed with mayo; and Connecticut- or Rhode Island-style, warm lobster with butter. Both tuck the lobster meat into a split-top hot dog bun (or sometimes a round burger bun in Connecticut), which is usually soaked with butter.

This is a sandwich that goes by a variety of names depending on where you live – a sub, a hero, a hoagie, or a grinder – but one thing is certain, the Italian sub is delicious. A staple of Italian delis nationwide, the sub has countless variations, but they all include a wide variety of Italian meats which are mainly salami, capicola, mortadella, and ham. It all comes together with the addition of cheese (usually provolone), lettuce, tomato, onion, optional additional veggies like pickled banana peppers, and a squirt of oil & vinegar to finish it off.

One of New Orleans' signature foods, the po'boy is said to have gotten its start back in the late 1920s when husband and wife Benny and Clovis Martin fed workers who were striking against the city's streetcar company. The term was coined when they referred to the strikers as "poor boys" coming in to eat. Nowadays, it can be found at countless restaurants and sandwich shops throughout the Big Easy as well as neighboring regions.

It always starts with a soft, crusty loaf of French bread (ideally from local bakery Leidenheimer's), and countless filling options, from fried shrimp, crawfish, and oysters to roast beef, ham, and sausage. Order it "dressed" and it'll come topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo.

Invented in New Orleans, this sandwich is a Louisiana signature that has gained popularity around the globe. It is said to have been invented at Central Grocery by Sicilian immigrant Salvatore Lupo to feed the Italian immigrants working at the nearby French Market. While Central Grocery still makes the definitive version, plenty of other places around the state put their spin on it.

The Muffaletta starts with a large round loaf of Sicilian sesame bread, and it's layered with cured meats, typically ham and salami, although mortadella is often added. Next comes the provolone, (some use Swiss), and a tangy salad made with chopped olives, pickled vegetables, garlic, and olive oil.

Popularized by the 1930s comic strip, "Blondie," whose husband was bumbling, food-crazed protagonist, Dagwood Bumstead who would concoct an overstuffed sandwich made with whatever he could scrounge from the fridge. This is exactly what a Dagwood sandwich is: a wide variety of cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments, along with a couple of extra slices of bread for good measure.

Chicago is known for their regional specialty, the Italian beef sandwich, a distinct Chicagoland creation. Countless shops throughout the Windy City are serving this messy specialty. It starts with roast beef, which is sliced super-thin and simmered in au jus before being stuffed into a long French roll. Diners typically opt to give the whole sandwich a dunk in the jus before topping it with giardiniera (a spicy, tangy relish made with chopped pickled vegetables) or sautéed Italian sweet peppers, and scarfing it down while hunched over a counter.

Another regional specialty is beef on weck, native to Buffalo, where residents dine on thinly sliced roast beef, which is piled into a special type of round roll called a kummelweck roll; it's soft and fluffy, and topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. The top of the bun is traditionally dipped in jus, and the roast beef is topped with horseradish.

It's debated as to where this sandwich was invented, Florida or Cuba (some say Cubans still residing in Cuba have most likely never tasted this creation), but there's no question that the Cuban sandwich, or the Cubano, is one of the most delicious foods ever invented. To make this masterpiece, ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard are layered onto Cuban bread and then pressed until crisp on the outside and hot and melty on the inside.

It's incredibly popular in Miami, but other areas, like Tampa, put their own spin on it by adding salami.

The bánh mì is a perfect example of the influence of French imperialism on the country's foods. Brought over to the U.S. by Vietnamese immigrants, it has been a popular sandwich around the world for decades. It starts with a small Vietnamese baguette (which has a thinner crust and a more airy crumb than its French counterpart) and while the protein can change – tofu is a more recent favorite – it is classically filled with meat like ham, pork, or grilled chicken along with fresh cilantro, shredded pickled carrot and radish, and condiments including hot sauce and mayo.

The Hot Brown is the signature sandwich of Louisville, Kentucky, but unlike most iconic sandwiches, its origins aren't up for debate. It was invented in 1926 by chef Fred K. Schmidt at Louisville's Brown Hotel as a late-night dinner, and it remains the flagship menu item at the hotel to this day. To make a classic Hot Brown, sliced bread is topped with turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and a layer of cheesy mornay sauce. It's then broiled until the bread crisps up and the top begins to brown.

The French dip might sound as though it's an import, but this sandwich was invented in Los Angeles back in the early days of the 20th century. Two LA restaurants claim to have invented it – Philippe the Original and Cole's – but regardless of its birthplace, it's an ingenious creation that starts with thinly sliced hot roast beef, which is served on a French roll (hence the name).

Some restaurants dunk the sandwich in beef jus before serving and others serve it with a cup of jus on the side for dunking. Both Philippe's and Cole's serve theirs with spicy mustard.

Characteristic of Midwestern cuisine, especially in Iowa, Missouri, and Indiana, the fried pork tenderloin sandwich was reportedly invented at Nick's Kitchen in Huntington, Indiana. To make this beloved regional specialty, a slice of pork loin (not tenderloin) is pounded thin, breaded with breadcrumbs or crushed saltines, and deep-fried to crispy golden-brown perfection. It's then served on a plain hamburger bun with toppings including lettuce, onions, pickles, mustard, and ketchup.

No trip to Philly is complete until you have eaten a traditional cheesesteak. This may come as a surprise to some but the original Philly cheesesteak didn't even offer cheese. Owners Pat and Harry Olivieri offered a new sandwich in the early 1930s that was simply grilled beef and onions. It wasn't until the 1940s that they added provolone (Pat's remains the city's most famous cheesesteak shop, along with Geno's across the street).

This cheesy, greasy mashup of thin-sliced griddled beef, cheese (usually American, provolone, or Cheez Whiz), and chopped onions all piled into a long hoagie roll, is a beloved Philly treasure.