Open sandwich

Anopen sandwich, also known as anopen-face/open-faced sandwich,bread baser,bread platterortartine,consists of a slice ofbreadortoastwith one or morefooditems on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a typicalclosed sandwich.
During the start of theMiddle Ages, thin slabs of coarse bread called "trenches" (late 15th century English) or, in its French derivative, "trenchers", were used as plates.At the end of the meal, the food-soaked trencher was eaten by the diner (from which the expression "trencherman" may come), or perhaps fed to a dog or saved for beggars. Trenchers were as much the harbingers of open-face sandwichesas they were of disposable crockery.
A direct precursor to the Englishsandwichmay be found in the Netherlands of the 17th century, where the naturalistJohn Rayobserved that in the taverns, beef hung from the rafters "which they cut into thin slices and eat with bread and butter laying the slices upon the butter".These explanatory specifications reveal the Dutchbelegde boterham, open-faced sandwich, was as yet unfamiliar in England.
In countries like Denmark, wheresmørrebrødis common, smørrebrød is not considered a form of sandwich; rather, a sandwich is considered a form of smørrebrød with an extra piece of bread on top.In a US context, open sandwiches are sandwiches that are made with only a single slice of bread.It has given rise to some controversy in thephilosophy of languagestudy of meaningunderdeterminationafter a judge had to consider whether aburritowas a sandwich for the purposes of enforcing anexclusive use clausein an American legal case. The judge followed the definition ofMerriam-Webster's Dictionary: "two thin pieces of bread, usually buttered, with a thin layer (as of meat, cheese or savory mixture) spread between them." Because the burrito was "typically made with a single tortilla," the judge said it was not a sandwich.
This decision ledAmanda Hessto question whether an open-faced sandwich was asandwichat all. She questioned, by extension, whetherpizza,bruschetta,buttered toastorhot dogscould be considered sandwiches. She found that theUnited States Department of Agriculturedefined a sandwich as "at least 35% cooked meat and no more than 50% bread." Further, the regulatory framework suggests two disparate categories for open vs. closed sandwiches – USDA regulations apply only to open-faced sandwiches;sandwiches made with two slices of bread are covered by theFood and Drug Administration(FDA).
Responding to the controversy, Dan Pashman declared that "a burrito is not a sandwich"; he stated that a sandwich must be composed of a filling between two discrete items of food, and that one must be able to eat it without utensils.
Open sandwiches allow for an arrangement of different types of sandwiches to be served withafternoon teasor as an accompaniment to salads.They can be cut into fancy shapes of triangles, stars, rounds and crescents, and arranged in an attractive platter for presentation. Common ingredients for open sandwiches are jam, stuffed olives, chopped herbs, cream cheese, hard-boiled eggs and pimiento. Any ingredients can be used to add flavor and color to enhance the presentation of the sandwich platter.
An open sandwich is a slice of fresh bread or, e.g. in Germany, abread rollhalf, with different spreads,butter, liverpâté, cheese spreads, cold cuts such asroast beef,turkey, ham, bacon,salami,beef tongue,mortadella,head cheeseor sausages likebeerwurstorkabanos, fish such assmoked salmon,gravadlax,herring,eelandprawns, and vegetables likebell pepper,tomato,radish,scallionandcucumber.
Open sandwiches like this are consumed inFrance,Belgium,Denmark,Norway,Sweden,Finland,Estonia,Austria,Germany,theCzech Republic,Hungary,theNetherlands,PolandandBulgariaas well as other parts ofEurope, andNorth Americaas a regularbreakfastandsupperfood item. The Americantongue toastwas offered as an entrée for breakfast, lunch, and supper and as anhors d'œuvrefor formal parties.
In formerCzechoslovakia, a popular type of open sandwich is calledobložené chlebíčky(pl., sg.obložený chlebíček) - slantways cut slice ofveka(long narrow white bread) spread withbutteror with various combinations ofmayonnaisesalads andhard boiled egg,cheese,ham,salami, smoked fish (salmonorspratsor pickledherring),tomato,pickled cucumber,lettuce, rawonionor other vegetable, etc.
The open sandwich is the common, traditional sandwich type in theNordic countries,Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania, theNetherlands,Belarus,Russia,Poland,Ukraine,Kazakhstanwhere it is typically eaten at breakfast,lunch,supper, or as a snack. InFinlandthe sandwich is calledvoileipä, and in Estonia similarlyvõileib, which also means "butter bread".
The Scandinavian open sandwich (Danish:smørrebrød,Norwegian:smørbrød,Swedish:smörgåsormacka) consists of one piece of buttered bread, often whole-grainryebread (Danish:rugbrød,Swedish:rågbröd,Finnish:ruisleipä), topped with, for instance, cheese, coldsteak, ham, turkey,shrimps, smokedsalmon,caviar, hard boiled eggs, bacon,herring, fish fillets, liver pâté (Danish:leverpostej,Norwegian:leverpostei,Swedish:leverpastej), or small meatballs. This is typically complemented by someherbsand vegetables such asparsley, cold salad, thinly sliced cucumber, tomato wedges or pickled beets, etc. on the same slice of bread.
A condiment, such as mayonnaise, or mayonnaise-baseddressingis also often included in some form.An old traditional replacement for butter on a piece of bread with herring is pig fat. There are many variations associated with the smørrebrød/smørbrød/smörgås and there are even special stores, cafés and restaurants (especially in Denmark) that specialize in them.
The Dutch and FlemishUitsmijterconsists of one or more slices of bread topped with fried eggs (one per slice of bread), and can be accompanied by slices of cheese or meat (roast beef or ham). The dish is often served as a hearty breakfast. Sweet toppings are commonly used for breakfast in the Netherlands andBelgium: e.g.sprinkles,vlokken, ormuisjes, next to the more widespreadpeanut butter,honey,jam, andchocolate spread.
In Great Britain, open sandwiches are rare outside of Scandinavian delicatessens. The open sandwiches found in Great Britain are theWelsh rarebitand other "on toast" dishes (e.g.,cheese on toast), and theScotch woodcock, an open sandwich served historically at the colleges of theUniversity of CambridgeandUniversity of Oxfordand in the refreshment rooms of theHouse of Commons of the United Kingdomas late as 1949.
InNorth America, anopen faced sandwichmay also refer to a slice of bread topped with warm slices ofroastedmeat andgravy. Examples include abeef Manhattan, ahot chicken sandwichin Canada, orWelsh rarebit.This is also done in Scandinavian countries, where they also eat open faced sandwiches with fried meat and fried fish.