Food - Drink
The British Aristocrat Behind The Term ‘Sandwich’
By NICO DANILOVICH
Today, the term 'sandwich' is ubiquitous, but where did this moniker come from? It’s clearly not a portmanteau — sand obviously isn’t food, and “wich” is an outdated term that once referred to bundles of thread and small towns. As it turns out, the etymology of the word "sandwich" is tied to a person, specifically a British aristocrat.
Sandwiches were created in the 1st century BCE when rabbi Hillel the Elder placed bitter herbs and lamb meat between pieces of matzo bread; the creation quickly became popular throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean. By the mid-1800s, sandwiches made their way to England thanks to John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich — the town in Kent, England.
Montagu was a fan of gambling, and as the story goes, in 1762, unwilling to put his cards down, Montagu ordered some beef in-between toast so he could eat one-handedly while playing. The creation quickly caught on and since most people believed he invented it, they named it after him. In truth, Montagu had probably been inspired by his previous travels to Turkey.