# Do American people make sandwiches at home? Or is it more of a specialty thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 10, 2025, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414 "2025-06-10T07:18:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/162 "2025-06-10T21:35:07Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I didn’t even want to try sauerkraut (though I really like it now). So if it wasn’t for my wife, I may have never even known how good they were. Be careful, some sauerkraut is sweet. Was a very disappointing experience for me in Bavaria. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/163 "2025-06-10T21:44:53Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Be careful, some sauerkraut is sweet. I’ve had red sauerkraut in a German restaurant in Leavenworth, WA. It was pretty sweet. It was delicious. It wouldn’t be anything I’d want on a Reuben, but on its own as a side item, it was great. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/164 "2025-06-10T22:15:43Z")
Yes, there are some preparations of sauerkraut that involve cooking it with apples and brown sugar and stuff like that. More a Southern German thing, if I remember correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/165 "2025-06-10T22:37:57Z")
Red cabbage also ferments differently, at least from what I read, and is less acidic and naturally sweeter. I think people might lean into that somewhat. As I said, though, I really liked it. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/166 "2025-06-10T22:41:28Z")
And making Sushi at home does not require you growing and harvesting your own rice. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/167 "2025-06-10T23:24:46Z")
I recently heard a grilled-cheese sandwich described as a “white-people quesadilla”. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/168 "2025-06-10T23:36:14Z")
What came first; the grilled cheese sandwich or the quesadilla? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/169 "2025-06-10T23:56:45Z")
If you believe wiki, it’s probably the quesadilla. Or at least the written attestation of quesadillas precedes that of grilled cheese sandwiches. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/170 "2025-06-11T00:31:14Z")
Food Timelines says that the Romans left recipes for cooked bread with cheese, but that the modern grilled cheese sandwich (Wonderbread fried around American cheese) dates from the 1920s. > **[The Food Timeline: history notes--sandwiches](https://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsandwiches.html#grilledcheese)** > > Food Timeline: history notes: sandwiches Quesadillas would have been invented between those two times, as there was no cheese in the Americas until the European conquorers brought over dairy animals. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/171 "2025-06-11T02:35:41Z")
Whatever your Passover Haggadah may tell you, Rabbi Hillel almost certainly did not invent the sandwich: [https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/religion-holidays/2024/04/did-the-ancient-sage-hillel-really-invent-the-sandwich](https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/religion-holidays/2024/04/did-the-ancient-sage-hillel-really-invent-the-sandwich) ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/172 "2025-06-11T02:49:10Z")
The sandwich was probably invented by someone with visions of grindeur. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/173 "2025-06-11T04:11:29Z")
That was pretty sub-par. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/174 "2025-06-11T04:33:21Z")
- > [@Eonwe](#): > > That was pretty sub-par. 😫I was feeling so good about my post, but now I falafel. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/175 "2025-06-11T10:21:15Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Did you bake and slice the bread yourself? Americans don’t make sandwiches at home so much as they assemble them. Not on the particular occasion I mentioned, but I do frequently make my own bread (wheat, rye, multi-grain). It would be fair to say I make the majority of the bread I eat although during particularly busy weeks I might buy a loaf. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > That _is_ making them. People talk of making food without starting from the most basic ingredients all the time. Most people couldn’t do it that way if they wanted to; they lack the expertise and knowledge to make all the components in the first place. Yeah, I’m sure the next question is “did you make the cheese yourself?”. Or “did you butcher the animal yourself?” Yes, I have, in fact, made cheese. It’s really not that hard. Yes, I have, in fact, butchered an animal. It’s a nasty, bloody chore but I’ve done. it. I’ve also ground my own grain, made my own butter, grown my own lettuce and onions… The thing is, I live in the 21st century in an urban area, working 40 hours a week at a job outside the home. Because there are many things I want to do with my life and only so many hours in the day I choose to “outsource” some of those particular food production chores like 99% of the world. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve never made sushi for a number of reasons (including that my husband doesn’t eat it) but I’ve watched friends make it, and it’s very easy. I think it is similar in complexity to making a sandwich, assuming you have a rice cooker and the rolling mat. I’m assuming you mean making maki? That’s a subset of sushi (nothing wrong with that) and yes, it’s a lot like sandwich making on a certain level. Other types of sushi I’ve never seen or heard of making at home. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@DSeid](#): > > > > Sure. But extremely fresh sushi quality raw fish stores less well than cold cuts. > > Does sushi _require_ top grade raw fish? Or can it be made without that? What about Spam based sushi? ^ This is what I mean. “Sushi” covers quite a range of things. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Nobody uses a rice cooker or a mat to make a sandwich. You can make a sandwich with no tools at all. How are the two tasks similarly complex? Back before sliced bread was commercially available you needed a knife to make a sandwich, ditto for pre-sliced cheese and deli meats, and most people use some sort of tool to spread condiments. Then there is use of a heating source for people who want toasted bread or melted cheese. I described a recent sandwich I made with cooked ingredients. I assure you I used a stove, not my non-existent psychic powers or a stream of spicy, angry words to provide the heat. So yes, you do use tools to make a sandwich. Didn’t you know that? Perhaps you should try sandwich making yourself, it’s really not that hard. > [@Eonwe](#): > > Theoretically, I want the option of sandwiches. However, lots of cold cuts start to go bad pretty quickly, so I have to buy 1/2lb of only one variety and have sandwiches with it for 3-4 days in a row. I There used to be a butcher shop/deli down the block from me where I could say “I want four slices of this, and four slice of that…” and buy just enough to have completely different sandwiches for 3-4 days and not be obligated to buy by the pound. The store where I work does slice to “order”, but only by weight. I can’t get the gals behind the counter to understand I want a _number of slices_ not a specific weight. I don’t want to get into an argument with them about it because I have to live under the same roof as these people 40 hours a week and management frowns on us starting arguments with each other, even when one party is in customer mode. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > If you have leftover meatloaf and chicken, why do you need to make a sandwich? Put some of the leftovers on a plate. Add a fork and knife. Toss in some of the leftover rice and/or veg from the same meal. Maybe finish with a piece of hand fruit. Lunch! If I’m at home, sure. That is not so compatible with the lunch facilities at work, which is why I either bring sandwiches or salads to work and not plated meals. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/176 "2025-06-11T10:49:32Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > I’ve never made sushi for a number of reasons (including that my husband doesn’t eat it) but I’ve watched friends make it, and it’s very easy. I think it is similar in complexity to making a sandwich, assuming you have a rice cooker and the rolling mat. > > I’m assuming you mean making maki? That’s a subset of sushi (nothing wrong with that) and yes, it’s a lot like sandwich making on a certain level. Other types of sushi I’ve never seen or heard of making at home. Yes, I’ve watched friends make tuna maki. Also, chirashi. On a very basic level, sushi is “rice with stuff” and sandwiches are " bread with stuff". ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/177 "2025-06-11T12:05:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m assuming you mean making maki? That’s a subset of sushi Why yes, the OP that this OP is parodying clearly was talking about maki, and about the process of making proper consistency sushi rice mixed appropriately with the rice and vinegar, and the process of rolling it. They didn’t know about or were not thinking about other forms of sushi. And they asked about whether this process that they were struggling with was something that households in Japan did as part of home cooking regularly or if was something they more typically bought made by sushi chefs. They were honestly asking a question about something they didn’t know much about. Silly person. This apparently isn’t the place to try to get your ignorance reduced. This is where insecure assholes who know _some_ things come to make themselves feel superior because they know something someone else doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/178 "2025-06-11T12:07:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Silly person. This apparently isn’t the place to try to get your ignorance reduced. This is where insecure assholes who know _some_ things come to make themselves feel superior because they know something someone else doesn’t. This is why we need a like button. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/179 "2025-06-11T12:19:58Z")
Re: sliced tomato: Whenever I slice tomato, it comes out way too thick (like 1/3 of an inch thick, which really is too thick and can ruin the sandwich. Do you have a trick to slicing your tomatoes thinner? I know that they sell those cold-cut slicers, but it seems like a pretty big machine to have taking up counter space. If only I’d bought a set of those Ginsu knives back in the day… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/180 "2025-06-11T12:35:37Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > They were honestly asking a question about something they didn’t know much about. Yup. And that’s why this thread ended up in the pit. Because it was making fun of a perfectly ordinary question. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/181 "2025-06-11T12:37:40Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Do you have a trick to slicing your tomatoes thinner? I use a ceramic knife. The trick to slicing tomatoes is mostly to use a very sharp blade. And my ceramic knife holds its edge, because minor wear and tear turns into tiny serrations instead of dull patches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414.md?page=10)