We love sandwiches of all shapes, sizes, creeds and colours. In fact, it’s impossible to pick a favourite, so we’ve chosen ten! Here are 10 of the best sandwiches in the world and the IDEAL places to eat them.
Po Boy
Take a pillowy French roll with ultra-thin crust, fill to the brim with deep fried oysters and shrimp. Add a generous spread of Creole mayonnaise-based remoulade sauce, spicy with the kick of mustard, some crisp greens and you’re good to go. Once the food of Mardi Gras, but now found all over America, any time of year, the Po Boy is one of the top sandwiches in the world.
Eat in New Orleans, U.S.A
Banh Mi
A by-product of French colonialism, this Vietnamese sandwich seems on a mission to take over every high street on the planet. The charm lies in the unique baguette, a crisp and crunchy exterior, without being toasted, forms the husk, with a soft crumb in the middle and plenty of space for filling. Traditionally, a mix of pork belly and pork and liver pate form the backbone, with sharp pickles, spicy sauce and coriander completing the glorious mash-up. One for the vegetarians too, the Banh Mi is equally good with omlette.
Eat in Hanoi, Vietnam
B.L.T
Three iconic words and a simple, perfectly balanced grouping. The bacon must be well done, streaky and salty, the tomatoes must be whole slices – not cherry, certainly not ketchup – and the lettuce must be cold and crisp. Wonderfully refreshing and moreish – the B.L.T is a lunchtime office classic.
Eat in London, England
Pastrami and Rye
A New York institution, the Pastrami and Rye is a classic sandwich served in kosher Jewish delicatessens throughout the city. It is large and indulgent, savoury and sharp, and just perfectly balanced. In the best versions, the beef is cut thick, retaining its juices, with a peppery crust and classic accouterments of super-size gherkins and hot yellow mustard. If we were to pick one sandwich on this list, it would probably be this one.
Eat in New York, U.S.A
Left-over Roast Dinner
A rather catch-all listing, but you know exactly where we’re coming from. The best bit of the British Sunday Roast is surely the following day, where slices of yesterday’s meat, be it beef, chicken or pork, are wedged between slices of bread and enjoyed with whatever condiments you can find the fridge. Our favourite would have to be leftover, rare, roast beef, paired with rocket, a few shavings of parmesan and a handful of English baby tomatoes. Oh, and the bread should be buttered, mayo’d AND dijon’d. The sandwich feels both generous and economical – we love it.
Eat in your family home, following a delicious roast cooked by your mother
Open Sandwich
The Open Sandwich covers a multitude of one slice offerings, but we’re specifically talking about the Smorrebrod here, the Danish classic. It feels light and addictive, with the best versions juggling sweet and sharp pickle flavours with grace. Expect to find pickled herring, horseradish cream and cornichons most commonly. Dense rye-sourdough is also essential, playing the perfect foil to all of those competing sour notes.
Eat in Copenhagen, Denmark
Ploughman’s
A Ploughman’s Lunch isn’t immediately obvious as a sandwich – more a collection of fantastic British cheeses, ham, a few pickles and salad items, all on a wooden board. The pleasure is in the assembly and the variety which this leads to – one can indulge in a number of different cheeses over the course of the meal. Common knowledge dictates that we English should follow the Dane’s lead and simply use one slice of thick bread, piled high with the other treats.
Eat in a cosy country pub, Britain
Croque Madame
Decadent and unashamedly French, the Croque Madame translates as Mrs. Crunchy, but the crunch isn’t the most striking thing about this sandwich – it’s the richness and luxury that hits you first. Gruyere cheese and a generous amount of béchamel sit atop a slice of bread, with second layer of delicious ham and another slice of bread completing the sandwich. As if that wasn’t enough, on top is a fried egg, still runny, creating a feeling of real opulence in every bite. Incredible.
Eat in Paris, France
Bocadillo
Defiantly minimalist, the Bocadillo is the humble yet majestic sandwich of Cataluña – the appeal coming from the absolute premium quality of the one ingredient nestled inside the baguette. Butter is eschewed in favour of a small rubbing of olive oil. The bread is then simply furnished with a cut of superb Jamon – that’s all and that’s the magic. Equally magnificent in its clarity is the Spanish Omlette Bocadillo, the best using potato and (though hotly contested) onion, with the egg still slightly runny to provide moisture and a certain unctuousness.
Eat in Barcelona, Spain
Torta Ahogada
The final sandwich on the list hails from Mexico and is a spice and meat lover’s delight. Usually incorporating both slices of cured pork and a chili laden mincemeat, with plenty of hot sauce to boot, this is not a sandwich to eat wearing a white t-shirt. Position yourself next to fan, order a corona and tuck in!
Eat in Guadalajara, Mexico