Two slices of bread, a multi-ingredient filling, an explosion of flavor in a single bite: there's nothing more comforting than stuffed bread, a simple, almost banal idea, yet so delicious it's become a staple all over the world. In Italy the must-have for a quick lunch is undoubtedly the tramezzino. How many times have you called it a sandwich? If so, we're here to reveal that you've been wrong all along: although they're both slices of stuffed bread to be eaten quickly, often without even sitting down, they are two very different recipes. In fact, one derives from the other. Precisely, the tramezzino was born later, as an Italian variant of the stuffed sandwich invented by the Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, in the second half of the eighteenth century. Here is the history of the two specialties, what they have in common and, above all, how to distinguish one from the other.
Tramezzino Vs. Sandwich: Why Do We Mix Them Up?
The tramezzino and the sandwich are similar preparations because they both start from a similar base: two slices of bread enclosing a savory filling made up of various ingredients, often accompanied by a sauce that softens the bread and binds the ingredients. It's easy to understand why they're often confused: at a superficial glance, the two preparations are very similar. In reality, the tramezzino and the sandwich differ in several respects, first of all in their origins —the tramezzino is a derivative of the sandwich, created several centuries later—but also in the type of bread used, the type of filling, the structure, and the way they are eaten. The sandwich is a roll of English origin made with various types of bread (often sandwich bread, but also soft bread) containing a savory filling, often layered, and eaten hot or cold. The tramezzino, on the other hand, is an Italian specialty born from the sandwich and composed of two slices of soft white bread without the crust, usually generously filled, cut into triangles, softened with mayonnaise to keep the bread moist and served strictly cold.
What is A Sandwich, Invented by an English Lord
A sandwich is a filled roll, often layered, made of two or more slices of bread sandwiched between a filling of sauces and savory ingredients. It can be eaten hot or cold as a quick meal without even sitting down. It has become a much-loved dish due to its speed and versatility, two of the characteristics that led to its invention in the 18th century: the sandwich is older than you might think and was invented by a real English lord. Who, guess what, was Lord of the County of Sandwich.
The nobleman in question, John Montagu IV, was a British officer and diplomat whose history has not exactly been remembered for a particularly positive reason: he appears to have been an avid frequenter of gambling halls, is said to have been accused by contemporaries of corruption and mismanagement, and is also remembered for his controversial role during the American War of Independence. It was an unenviable career, but one that shines with the invention of what is now the world's most famous sandwich. According to contemporary accounts, Montagu spent twenty-four hours at a public gaming table, so absorbed in the game that, rather than get up, he ordered his lunchtime roast beef sandwiched between two slices of buttered bread, so he could consume it without distracting himself from his gambling activities.
Initially, this peculiar order was Montagu's own whim, but it was soon imitated by others who, to order it, asked for "the same as Sandwich," using the name of the county of which the nobleman was Lord. The idea quickly spread beyond the gambling halls and became highly fashionable, so much so that in 1788 the term "sandwich" was officially recorded in the Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. It was in the 1820s that the sandwich recipe began to vary from Lord Montagu's original idea and the filling became more refined, with ingredients such as chicken or pheasant breast spread with béchamel sauce flavored with the meat's cooking juices, or sandwiches with fillings based on buttered sole or shrimp.
From this point on, the sandwich's fame continued to grow, becoming one of the most popular sandwiches even outside of Great Britain, especially in the United States. The sandwich's popularity is based on the same reasons that still make it so beloved today: it's simple and convenient, can be eaten with your hands and doesn't require cutlery, but above all, it can be filled in a variety of ways. Today, there are two most famous versions of the sandwich: the tea sandwich, the small sandwiches usually served during the quintessentially English tea party (which inspired the Italian tramezzini), and the club sandwich, an all-American invention. Born in the late 19th century, the club sandwich is a sandwich made of three layers of toasted bread stuffed with turkey breast, crispy bacon, tomato, green salad, cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise. The rich filling and the presence of the triple layer differentiate it from the tramezzino and the more classic sandwich, and precisely because of its richness, it is often eaten during brunch or as a main course.
Whether you decide to recreate a famous recipe or invent your own personal sandwich, the rules to follow are always the same and very precise:
- if you use a soft, thin bread, choose soft fillings like cheese, avocado, or anything that gives way easily to the bite;
- if you prefer a rich or multiple filling, use a more solid bread that can hold it together without falling apart;
- spread the bread with a sauce or butter, it serves to strengthen the bread and isolate it from the more moist components of the filling, for example salad or tomatoes;
- if you use a whole loaf, remove the crumb, so that the resulting tray can accommodate the filling without it coming out of the bread;
- the perfect sandwich must be filled respecting the 1:1 ratio between bread and filling, only with the same weight of the two elements can you obtain the perfect sandwich;
- a good sandwich contains three textures: crunchiness, freshness, softness;
- The ideal rule to follow for the filling is 1 sauce, 1 protein, 1 cheese, 1 vegetable arranged in this order between the slices of bread.
What is a Tramezzino, "Son" of The Sandwich, Born in Turin and Named by a Poet
The author who contributed most to the spread of the sandwich in Italy was Pellegrino Artusi: there was still no mention of a tramezzino as such, but rather an Italian version of the British stuffed sandwich. Artusi included in his book Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well the recipe for a good sandwich, which soon evolved into the classic Italian sandwich, a sort of "poor brother" to the English original with more common ingredients. Its presence can be found in accounts of Garibaldi's war in the Tyrol, or in mountaineering excursions in the mountains of Lazio, and again in Luigi Bertelli's Giornalino di Gian Burrasca in the early twentieth century.
The turning point that transformed the stuffed sandwich into the tramezzino we know today occurred in the early 1900s. Although there is a dispute between Turin and Venice regarding the invention of the recipe, the most widely accepted theory holds that the tramezzino was born right in the heart of the Piedmontese city, precisely within the walls of the Caffè Mulassano in Piazza Castello. In 1925, Angela Demichelis Nebiolo and her husband Onorino Nebiolo, after emigrating to the United States, returned to Turin and took over the café. To reinvigorate the business, they decided to use a machine brought from America that was used to toast bread, a tool that allowed them to be the first to bring toast to the city. They were still not entirely satisfied, however, so they had an idea: why not use that very soft toast bread to create an Italian version of the English tea sandwich? So they removed the edges from the two slices of bread, skipped the toasting, and stuffed the whole thing with a substantial filling.
It was 1926, and that's how the tramezzino was born, even though it was still called a sandwich: according to tradition, it was the famous poet Gabriele D'Annunzio who gave it this name. Why "tramezzino"? There are two versions of the story. The first theory holds that the poet, having tasted one of these small sandwiches, coined the word because the square shape of the cut white bread reminded him of the "tramezzi" (dividing walls) of his country house. The second version holds that, being in the midst of the twenty-year Fascist period, D'Annunzio searched for an Italian word to describe the recipe, following the trend of thought that fought against foreign words in the Italian language; since the sandwich was eaten "between one meal and another," D'Annunzio thought the right name for it was, indeed, tramezzino.
The first official recording of the term tramezzino dates back to 1935, in the Panzini Dictionary: the sandwich officially became tramezzino, becoming a popular recipe throughout Italy. Today, the tramezzino is still one of the most popular options for a quick lunch or a tasty snack, and, incidentally, Caffè Mulassano in Turin is still open, at the same address, and prepares over forty different types of tramezzini. The tramezzino is still prepared the way it was invented in 1926: soft crustless bread, often milk-based, cut into a triangle (although today it can also be rectangular) and sprinkled with mayonnaise to keep the bread moist—one of the main rules for making perfect tramezzini. The filling is what makes the tramezzino extremely versatile and loved by everyone: it can include classic fillings such as tuna and hard-boiled egg, mozzarella and tomato, salmon, arugula and bresaola, or modern variations and more gourmet combinations, for example salmon and avocado, but it can also be composed according to your tastes.
What About the Club Sandwich?
The club sandwich is a "premium" variant of the classic sandwich, richer and more layered. Originating in the United States in the late 19th century (traditionally in circles associated with men's clubs and private clubs, hence the name), it differs from the simpler sandwich because it is often made with three slices of toasted bread and a generous, layered filling: typically turkey or chicken, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Because of its substantial "architecture," it is often cut into triangles and served as a single dish, ideal for brunches and quick but filling lunches.
Differences Between a Tramezzino and a Sandwich
The basic concept of the tramezzino and the sandwich is the same: a loaf of bread cut in half, moistened with a sauce, and filled with various ingredients. The development of this basic similarity is what differentiates the tramezzino and the sandwich, in addition to their origins, which, as we've seen, saw the sandwich first appear in Great Britain and then the tramezzino in Italy. The classic sandwich is more substantial, can be made with different types of bread, can have different shapes, and can be served cold or warmed; the tramezzino, on the other hand, is always made with soft bread, usually without crusts, often sandwich bread, has a specific triangular shape, and is always eaten cold.
The filling also differentiates the two preparations: the sandwich is richer and more substantial, often containing several layers of filling and therefore having multiple layers (as in the case of the club sandwich) and can contain different types of sauces, as well as richer ingredients. The tramezzino, on the other hand, is always made with a single layer and always softened with mayonnaise, used both to keep the bread moist and to make the filling creamier, a filling composed of combinations of fewer ingredients and more delicate flavors. What differentiates tramezzino from sandwich – and therefore also the use of one name rather than the other – is also their method of consumption: the sandwich is the classic super-filled and large roll designed to be a real meal, the tramezzino was born as a light snack between meals (although now it is also used for a light lunch), a quick snack to stave off hunger, or an appetizer served during aperitif time.
;Resize,width=767;)
