Sandwich Day

Sandwich. Alejandro Guzman / Pixabay.com / 2018 / CC0 1.0

November 3rd is Sandwich Day.

The reason it’s Sandwich Day is that it is the birthday of the 4th Earl of Sandwich — John Montagu (3 November 1718 – 3 April 1792). ^[1]Montague became the 4th Earl in 1729.

Popular myth credits him with having invented the sandwich.

Is it true, though? Did no one in history before him ever stick a piece of cheese between two pieces of bread? CooksInfo.com knows — read our entry on sandwiches to learn all about the Earl and the history of sandwiches.

Reputedly, in America every year, 45 billion sandwiches are eaten each year (as of 2001.) Many swear, though, that England remains the best place still to have a sandwich for variety, quality and value.

Have a sandwich today in honour of the day. If you normally have sandwiches every day, then make it a type of sandwich you rarely treat yourself to.

#SandwichDay

History

The earliest print mention we’ve been able to find of Sandwich Day happening in November occurred in October 1987.

Congregate Cuisine. La Porte City Progress Review. La Porte City, Iowa. 28 Oct 1987. Page 4, col. 6.

Prior to this, in the 1970s the New York journalist Phyllis Battelle had written that National Sandwich Day occurred in August, as an extension of Sandwich Month, and that it had been promoted by a local New York baker.

(Click to enlarge) Battelle, Phyllis. History of the sandwich — Earl to the Dagwood. Reprinted in: Lowell Sun. Lowell, Massachusetts. 07 Aug 1974. Page 20, col. 1.