Book of Notable Sandwiches: A Lunchtime History of the World

An exploration of the best thing since sliced bread—from the humble grilled cheese to the intricate khao jee pâté—across time, culture, and borders, from critically acclaimed author and journalist Tal Lavin.

So many cultures around the world have some form of a sandwich—filling, portable, convenient. Yet the legacies behind what many may consider a casual culinary shortcut or an efficient, reliable option for fueling up, are anything but ordinary—from what bread is used, to the fillings within, each portion of a sandwich holds a story that may involve anything from maritime adventure, centuries of colonization, agricultural shifts, political protest, and labor history. You can’t look at a banh mi without seeing the legacy of French Indochina; a reuben without reckoning with the history of Jewish immigration to the United States; or a barbeque sandwich without considering the role of race in Southern food culture.

Drawing from Tal Lavin’s popular newsletter The Sword and Sandwich and inspired by the ever-shifting Wikipedia list of Notable Sandwiches, the stories layered within will give you much to chew on, rich with the savor of good research and evocative prose, and rife with delectable tangents and unexpectedly piquant bits of history. The Book of Notable Sandwiches is ultimately about finding the joy and wonder in the seemingly mundane, while getting to the bottom of very important and provocative questions like, is a hot dog a sandwich?

Whether you devour the book in one sitting, or enjoy it in dainty bites, each sandwich within will make you hunger for the next.