John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich is credited with inventing the sandwich. In 1762, Montagu, a consummate gambler, requested something he could eat without getting up from the card table. The cook placed a slice of meat between two pieces of bread and the sandwich as we know it was born. However, neither John nor the cook were the first to make and eat one.
Before this card game, Montagu traveled to Turkey and Greece where dips, cheeses and meats were commonly eaten between pieces of bread. His request started a trend and by the time of the Revolutionary War, sandwiches were well established in England. However, the colonists were slow to adapt it. American cooks tended to avoid culinary trends from their former ruling state… and… since the name “sandwich” came from the British peerage system; Americans wanted nothing to do with it.
