Thanks.
Sandwiches.
Food historians believe this portable meal
was popularized in England in 1762
by John Montagu, the fourth earl of Sandwich.
Apparently, he ordered a cook to prepare
an easy-to-eat meal so he could gamble freely.
It's unlikely
he or his cook were the first people
to put food between bread.
This concept existed way before that,
and even today, variations can be seen across the globe.
So, let's take a look at some of the sandwiches
you should try when traveling around the world.
The Vietnamese bánh mì
is a French baguette filled with
either roast chicken or pork
and fused with savory ingredients,
like slices of cucumber, chili pepper,
cilantro, sour pickled daikon, and carrot,
mayo, and Maggi sauce.
For many years the bánh mì has been
a staple street food in Vietnam.
French culture, including the French baguette,
has heavily influenced Vietnamese culture
because of the French occupation and colonization
of Vietnam between the 17th and 20th centuries.
The Vietnamese version of the French baguette
is slightly fluffier.
Similar to Vietnam's bánh mì,
this Laotian sandwich also uses the French baguette.
Khao jee can be found on almost
every street corner in Laos.
It's filled with pork belly, ham, tomato,
lettuce, carrots, cheese, and chili sauce.
The dönor kebab is an essential sandwich in Turkey.
Pieces of seasoned meat are skewered onto
a rotating spit and grilled vertically.
Traditionally, lamb is the meat of choice,
but nowadays other meats such as beef are used.
The meat is shaved from the spit
and placed between bread, topped with
grilled vegetables, sauces, cheese,
and a dash of lemon juice.
You can find many variations of the dönor kebab
all throughout Europe, especially in Germany.
Berlin is filled with food stalls
that sell the Turkish sandwiches.
In the 1960s, Turkish citizens migrated
to Germany as laborers.
Turkish immigrant Kadir Nurman
has been credited with creating the sandwich
during the 1970s in Berlin,
though it's likely that there was a similar concept
that existed in Turkey as well.
While its origins are a bit unclear,
it's safe to say our love for
the dönor kebab is very clear,
due to the fact they're available worldwide.
And since we're talking about love,
this next sandwich is a personal favorite of mine
because I grew up eating it.
If you enjoy roast pork, you have to try it
in Cuban bread, which is like a crispy baguette.
It's layered with ham, cheese, pickles,
mustard, and a little bit of garlic if you're up for it.
The Cuban sandwich, or Cubano,
is not actually even from Cuba.
Yep, it was created in Tampa, Florida,
by Cuban immigrants.
But the influence of Cuba's love
for roast pork shines through in this creation.
However, if you're looking for a sandwich
that actually originated in Cuba,
try a medianoche.
It's almost identical to a Cubano,
except the bread is a sweet egg-based bread.
Japan's popular katsu sando is a must-try.
This sandwich is typically made
with fried, breaded pork cutlets,
a few shreds of cabbage, and tonkatsu sauce
tucked between two slices of Japanese milk bread.
Nowadays, any type of protein can be used,
such as Wagyu beef, egg salad, or fish.
Mr. Katsu in Southern California serves
a 17-layer version of the pork katsu sando.
This popular omelet sandwich has made its mark
in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
You can find roti johns sold at street stalls
throughout these three countries.
A mixture of eggs, minced meat, onions,
and cheese is spread onto a griddle.
An open-faced baguette is placed on top
and toasted over the omelet until
the outside of the sandwich becomes crispy.
Garnishes like sambal sauce, tomato sauce,
and mayo can be added on top for extra flavor.
300 million sandwiches are eaten
by Americans each day.
And according to a YouGov survey,
America's favorite sandwich?
The grilled cheese.
Now, I can honestly say I've traveled
around the world in search of great cheese,
so I can appreciate a solid grilled cheese sandwich.
We're here at Murray's Cheese, which was voted
the best place to get a grilled cheese sandwich
in New York City by my friend
and coproducer Herrine Ro.
Grilled cheese became an American classic
after the 1920s.
Presliced white bread and processed cheese
became available, and soon American families
were cooking it up in their homes.
But this comfort food went beyond the household.
It was found in government-issued cookbooks
during World War II, and diners also
began advertising it on menus.
So, Murray's Cheese has basically perfected
the grilled cheese sandwich by taking
a special blend of cheese and butter
and then sandwiching it between crispy bread.
Oh, my gosh.
Calling all cheese lovers!
This Brazilian sandwich is called bauru.
Slices of roast beef and melted cheese
are tucked between a French roll
along with tomatoes and pickles.
China's steamed gua bao is a traditional favorite.
It originated in Fuzhou
and became popular in Taiwan
when Fuzhounese immigrants brought it over.
A flat steamed bao is folded over braised pork
with sweet peanuts and coriander leaves.
As you can see, this is much more than a sandwich.
Portugal's Francesinha is typically eaten
with a knife and fork.
In the late 1950s, a French resident in Portugal
named Daniel Silva created the sandwich.
Francisinha translates to "little French lady."
It's usually made with a stack of ham, steak,
sausage, egg, and cheese and topped with a tangy sauce.
In Guyana, this sandwich is a party
and road-trip favorite.
The quick recipe is ideal for any occasion, really.
Cheese paste is more than just cheese between bread.
Instead, sharp cheddar cheese is grated and
mixed with butter, mayo, pepper, mustard,
garlic, and pepper sauce.
The creamy finish is spread between
two slices of white bread.
And since we're talking about spreads,
India has a similar take.
The chutney sandwich is a striking green
or red spread laid between two slices of bread.
For green chutney mix, use fresh cilantro
and green chilies.
Red chilies are used for the red spread.
Uruguay is said to have some of the world's best beef.
Chivito is a steak sandwich enjoyed all
throughout the South American country.
It's also Uruguay's national dish.
According to legend, an Argentine tourist
walked into a restaurant asking for
a sandwich to be made with chivo, or baby goat.
The chef didn't have any goat meat
and instead grilled a thin piece of steak.
Variations today include toppings like cheese,
eggs, bacon, pepper, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes.
It's also popular in Argentina,
where it's known as lomito.
Uruguay enjoys steak sandwiches, and so does Chile.
This sandwich is called the chacarero.
A roll holds thin churrasco steak
with tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and mayo.
Senegal's ndambe is a spicy bean sandwich.
Black-eyed peas, which are really beans,
are seasoned along with beef and spread
between a baguette.
Lentils are sometimes used instead.
This type of sandwich is typically eaten
for breakfast and is sold by street vendors
all throughout Senegal.
Sabich, from Israel, is a pita bread stuffed
with fried eggplant, boiled eggs, salad, amba,
and many other sauces.
The sabich is actually an Iraqi-Israeli hybrid.
When Iraqi Jewish refugees settled in Israel
in the 1940s and '50s, they brought traditions
like eating hard-boiled eggs, potatoes,
and eggplant on Sabbath.
Today, the sabich is a popular street food
sold by vendors in Israel
and is still eaten on the Sabbath.
So, the UK is known for their love of chips,
so why not make it a sandwich?
A chip butty is simply thick-cut,
deep-fried chips sandwiched between
two buttered slices of white bread.
Sauces like mayo and ketchup are added for flavor.
You can find the chip butty
in English fish-and-chip shops.
South Africans enjoy hot chips stuffed in foot-longs.
But this foot-long is for sharing.
The Gatsby sandwich is typically sliced
into four portions and served as
a long loaf stuffed with slap chips,
polony, and achar.
Today, many variations of the Gatsby sandwich
are available throughout Cape Town.
This Finnish sandwich is called porilainen.
A thick slice of pork sausage is placed
between two slices of white bread.
The hamburger-like sandwich includes onions,
pickles, garlic, and your choice of condiment.
Eaten in both Venezuela and Colombia, the arepa
is a cornmeal pocket that is grilled, fried, or baked
and filled with endless ingredients.
Traditionally, arepas are cooked on flat griddles.
They can be served with shredded meat,
like chicken or beef, or with soft white cheese.
It's a popular street food in both countries
and can be eaten during any time of day.
This Danish sandwich comes in many, many combinations.
Smorrebrod is basically an open-faced sandwich.
Its main ingredients include spreads like butter,
cold meats, seafood, and scallions.
It's typically garnished with lemon and herbs.
It can probably get messy, so feel free
to eat it with a knife and fork.
Trinidad and Tobago's bake and shark
is pretty iconic to the sister islands.
Bake, or fried flatbread, is filled with
a fusion of fried shark, lettuce, tomatoes,
cucumber, and coleslaw.
Sauces like garlic sauce, mustard,
pepper sauce, and mango chutney add flavor.
This spicy snack is sold at stalls
in Pakistan, night and day.
The bun kebab resembles a burger,
with the patty typically being
chicken, beef, or egg omelets.
The patty is fried and served with onions and chutney.
OK, those were a lot of sandwiches,
but that just goes to show how important
this portable meal is
to so many cultures around the world.
So, which one was your favorite,
and which other global foods
would you like to see?
Let us know in the comments below.