The 2 Components Of A Perfect Tea Sandwich

Tea may not have originated in England, but the English sure did take a liking to it. According to the British Broadcasting Company, the English began to learn more about China's tea in the early 17th century, and by the 1650's the stuff was being regularly sold at coffee houses in London. The final nail in the coffin was when Catherine of Braganza was married to King Charles II and brought her love of beverage with her and she encouraged those of nobility and the commonwealth to take part. 

Today, The British Bash list several different kinds of teas the English can take throughout the day. There is High tea, Royal tea, Afternoon tea, Cream tea, and, of course, Elevenses. Each tea category comes with different criteria and customs. For example, High tea is often taken around 6 PM and served with meats whereas Elevenses is often served at 11 AM. But the tea occasion that many people outside of the U.K. are aware of is Afternoon tea aka Low tea. Afternoon tea is when you take tea with guests and serve an afternoon meal of scones with clotted cream and jam, desserts, and of course those dainty, picturesque sandwiches. These sandwiches are essential to the Afternoon tea experience, and they are incredibly simple to whip up and all too easy to overdo.

The concept of Afternoon tea is credited to the Duchess Anna Maria Stanhope in 1840. Saveur tells us that she designed it as a way to take tea with friends before dinner. The kinds of sandwiches prepared were meant to be scrumptious, but not heavy enough to ruin the lady's appetite before evening meals. Cucumber sandwiches as well as egg sandwiches in particular were a refreshing English snack that Irish author, Oscar Wilde, immortalized in his work "The Importance of Being Earnest." Preppy Kitchen claims that a modern Afternoon tea might have a wide variety of sandwiches made, a few favorites of which are smoked salmon, ham and brie, egg salad, and the classic cucumber sandwich. No Afternoon tea is complete without a cucumber sandwich, and it is wonderfully simple to whip up.

According to ifood tv, the only ingredients you need for an incredibly crispy tea sandwich are bread, butter, and cucumbers! You must construct the tea sandwich without letting the bread go stale or the cucumbers make the whole thing soggy. The bread should have its crusts removed and be very flat, and the cucumber should be prepared by peeling the skin and then thinly slicing it into dainty rounds. Before you layer the cucumber onto the bread, you must butter the pieces so that the vegetable doesn't bleed into the curb and ruin the texture of the sandwich. 

By following these steps, anyone can make the perfect tea sandwich!