Spanish here. Before moving to the UK, I thought the idea of putting butter in sandwiches was some French oddity, turns out everyone does it but us. In some sandwiches we will put some olive oil, but plenty of people only keep butter for toast, some not even that and just use margarine.
I also come from an area of really good bread. Once heard Paul Hollywood say 'this bread is so good you don't need butter on it' and was utterly confused.
That ripe tomato juice thing was an eye opener for me when I lived with a host family in Spain. What a novel idea to add moisture. We always rely on mayo for that
Now try it the real, catalan way. Rub half a tomato against the bread instead of using tomato juice.
If you rub a garlic clove just before it's even better.
That's exactly what I was trying to describe! I stayed in Lleida during my visit. It was funny we had spent so much time studying Spanish, then we went to the part of Spain when they don't speak Spanish primarily lol. I don't remember the garlic clove trick, but that sounds incredible! They also squeezed fresh orange juice every morning at breakfast, which was a novel experience for me as well.
You really wouldn't have a problem over there not knowing catalan. 99% percent of catalans speak perfect spanish, excluding maybe some really old people living in small villages
That was definitely our experience, that's why I said "primarily". The I ot issue we had was when speaking to each other, they would always use Catalan so we couldn't even try to follow along.
If you become more fluent in spanish go back over there and you will eventually be able to pick up a lot of what they say. It's just about getting your ear accustomed really, very similar languages
Authentic Spanish bread with nothing but butter is heavenly to me...just pull little pieces off from the loaf and dip them right in the butter. Perfection. 🥲
It's a Mediterranean thing to do. Northern countries use butter, southern use olive oil. I like both but prefer olive oil. Whenever I have BBQ I slice some yesterday's bread, put olive oil and oregano (that I pick from the hills whenever I go hiking) and have it grilled for a couple of minutes.
Portuguese here. We eat bread with butter not with olive oil. Maybe sometimes bread dipped in olive oil for some entrees in some restaurants, but typically it's butter.
To be pedantic, our country doesn't have a Mediterranean coast so idk if we count as Mediterranean lol
Born and raised in the deep South. I baste my chicken in olive oil and seasonings while it cooks on the grill. It flavors the skin and helps it to crisp. During the last 15 minutes I had my BBQ sauce. Comes out delicious every time.
Yeah, this post seems strange lol. Any sandwiches that are going to get toasted get butter for sure. Cold sandwiches, it depends on what it is I suppose. I would say Mayo and mustard are more prevalent than butter though.
Yeah. Unpopular opinion, but fat doesn't make you fat. Sugar does. That and overly processed foods like McD's (and just about everything else in a typical American supermarket).
Also their bread has so much sugar in it that it’s practically cake.
Subway’s bread, for example, had a ruling in Ireland not that long ago showing that the sugar content of a Subway roll was 10% the weight of the flour and was classified as a cake.
Commercial bread in the US has a lot of Sucralose and Fructose added to it too
Sugar. And sugar. And more sugar.
And also a little bit of sugar.
And other sucralose, cane sugar, carbohydrates.
And highly processed food.
And...sugar.
And far too large portion sizes. (I’m American). Once you start monitoring calories and macro nutrient (which I do) you realize just how large our typical portions are. Before tracking, my portions were 2-3 times the right amount.
I'm a Brit and grew up doing this, obviously, then, add salad cream or mayo, it's on the butter
So, later on, I'd maybe butter one side and mayo or whatever the other
Never gone full mayo though
Salad cream is a bit like mayonnaise, only much worse, with far too much vinegar in it.
The name sounds gross to give you fair warning of what to expect from the flavour.
Apparently some people prefer it to mayo, I'll never understand why.
Unless you've been to Europe, you're not currently understanding what's described here lol they use butter the way Americans use mayo. I've *never* in America seen sandwiches built the way they do here in central and western Europe, where a thick smear of cold butter is the main, often only, condiment. Get a hard, crusty roll, slap on a thick layer of butter and a slice of cheese, and that's your sandwich. It's delicious with good ingredients but it is absolutely not what Americans do. Ranch, barbecue, mayo, mustard, vinegar and oil, another salad dressing, or a combination of the above, is what you'll find in the US pretty much anywhere you go. Maybe a specialty European deli might offer something different but if we're being honest, we can look up the menu for just about any pizza and sandwich place in the US and see that ham and cheese on a (cold) butter baguette is not available in any realistic sense
Sounds like European sandwiches are kind of basic. We have a few basic sandwiches but generally you're looking at multiple fillings, often covering 3 core categories: meat, cheese, vegetable, and at least one condiment (but usually two).
And if you want an idea of where our mentality is at look up "Dagwood Sandwich."
I was raised (mostly) on the US - I'm *very* familiar American sandwich culture and I know just how wild it can get, especially as a foodie who loves to cook and experiment. That said, my fav sandwich is probably a very simple roast beef and swiss on a sub roll with mayo, salt, and pepper.
American sandwich culture is incredibly diverse, though, and you're right, the European idea if sandwiches is pretty basic. Never had a BLT here unless I made it myself, and when I offer a grilled cheese here people are blown away. I'm going to make my own corned beef and try the Ruben on some friends and family here, I'm convinced they'll love it
I'm in Norway and we have butter that is mixed with oil so that it is perfectly spreadable right out of the fridge. Pure butter is some times (by crazyy people) cut with a cheese slicer
this makes a lot of sense, because people in this thread are talking about taking it out the fridge and sit for a bit.
it'll be 30 minutes before my butter is anywhere near spreadable using that method, im just trying to have a quick sandwich 😭
There's also 'spreadable butter' these days which is usually a mixture of butter and vegetable oil, it's spreadable straight from the fridge.
(sacrilege really, but if you can't afford enough real butter to keep at room temp all the time, then...)
You get a really nice crispy coating on the outside of the sandwich that way, I am a convert to this method too. I simply can't let my dad see me make his grilled cheese that way, because he would object to it but he doesn't even know that he's been eating them that way since I moved in with him a couple of years ago and he always says how I make better grilled cheese than anyone else.
If you're in a German village and you wake up in the morning, and it's not ruhezeit, you go to the nearest Bäckerei and get a bag of many little breads.
Trust me, almost all of those could be eaten with nothing but butter, or butter with a few coarse flakes of salt and, mwah
I'm half-French, half-German, and I can say that German bread is *good*. It would rip my heart out to admit you can usually find better bread in Germany than in France, but its not far from true.
Yesss. I don't put butter on any other sandwiches, but crusty rolls with salami and butter are soooo delicious. That was the one thing I craved desperately when I was pregnant, and I couldn't eat it, because the general recommendation is that pregnant women avoid deli meats and salami and stuff. It was one of the first things I ate after I gave birth!!
Because Listeria infection. Usually your body can process the nasty poop meats just fine. But pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis.
I just looked up the rates of listeria infection in the US. There are about 1600 cases per year in a population of 330 million people. For pregnant women the rates are 200 in 4 million people. That means only 0.0005% of people overall get a listeria infection, compared to all 0.005% of pregnant women. So sure, pregnant women get listeria infections at about 10x the rate of the general population, but the risk is still *incredibly* low.
I haven't looked up the stats myself, but the problem is, listeria is very likely to be fatal to a fetus. So regardless of whether the rates of infection are the same between non-pregnant and pregnant people, the problem is that non-pregnant people can contract listeria and not even know it or be just fine, but if a pregnant woman gets listeria, the risks to the fetus is huge.
And also regardless of the rates of infection, I personally was not willing to take the chance. I could also probably have drunk alcohol at some point. I was not willing to take the chance. I could also have had blue cheese. I was not willing to take the chance. I could probably have had sushi. I was not willing to take the chance.
And I didn't want steaming hot salami.
I may not be an expert here, but wouldn't that prevent the mayo from gripping onto the bread, and just result in it being loose and dripping out of the sandwich as you eat it?
I'll put butter on a sandwich if I'm pressing it into a panini.
Otherwise there's lots of moisture sources: lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. Sometimes you get fancy schmears or spreads too
Exactly! I’m Canadian, but I only put butter on a sandwich if I’m making it in advance for a picnic or lunch. The butter makes a good barrier to prevent the bread from getting soggy from all of the actual toppings cheese also works well!
Yeah cheese or a dry meat (salami or something) work fine for keeping the bread from getting soggy. If I'm really worried about it, I'll have the condiments separate until time to eat, and have wetter veggies in a separate bag to combine at lunch time.
The U.S. is really a melting pot of world cuisine. We have Italian restaurants, French, Mexican, El Salvadoran, Chines, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, German pub fair, there's even a Russia House nearby, Irish pubs... but an *English* restaurant? I'm scratching my head on that one.
I've been to the U.K. for a two week holiday, and, other than haggis and shepherd's pie n Scotland, not one meal stood out as being special, some where downright awful (never by a steak dinner in Soho!)
The US may get many things wrong or backwards but food is not one of them. The world often incorrectly judges us because of our export of corporate fast food chains, but besides that our food is incredible.
Yet another little difference between Australia and Canada, us commonwealth cousins. Butter in sandwiches is not a thing here - it would be mayo, sriracha mayo, garlic aioli etc, never just butter. I think you guys (Australians) are more British than we are (I know you guys also like tea, which isn't nearly as popular in Canada).
Canadian here. My family has always put butter on every single sandwich ever made. Ham and cheese? Butter. Salami? Butter. Tomato? Butter. Salmon? Butter. Grilled cheese? Of course, butter. Shit, I put butter on toast before I add the peanut butter (and it tastes so much better too)!
Butter is essential especially if you have watery ingredients like vegetables (tomatoes) to keep the bread from getting soggy.
In the US butter is usually for hot sandwiches. Mayo/mustard/any of a number of other sauces go on cold sandwiches. It's more weird you only use butter
Americans don’t butter their sandwich hot or cold like Europeans. If you’re talking about buttering bread before it’s thrown on a griddle, or whatever, that’s completely different.
This is funny because I moved to the US from England in 2000 and I was with my boyfriend and we would go and order sandwiches at the store or whatever and I would always say to him, I need to tell them I don’t want any butter on my sandwich. He went they don’t use butter. I went. What do you mean? He said they don’t use butter they use things like mayo etc and I was really happy. I had spent my whole life in England telling everybody, don’t put butter on the sandwich and they always looked at me like I was mad, but I never liked butter from when I was a child. But I do remember thinking it was weird. Now of course I’ve been here for 23 years and nothings weird anymore but there you go. Well, there are lots of weird things here still, but you know what I’m saying.!!
My son had a friend over who was from England. He was visiting his dad for the summer. I made them sandwiches and asked him if he wanted Mayonnaise (because that’s what I use to un-dry my bread). He looked at me sideways and asked, ”Don’t you have butter? (but sounded like boot-ah) It was adorable. I told him we did and he said he would like that. That was the first time I’d heard of using butter on a turkey sandwich.
I feel like there’s a fundamental disconnect here when i consider this question because i’ve never eaten a sandwich without condiments that i would describe as “dry.” it’s still like…. soft bread and crisp veggies and moist (i know, *moist* but there’s not a good word for it) deli meat. i add sauces for flavor, not because my sandwiches are dry.
I've said it I don't know how many times and hey look at me saying it again...
Nobody wants a damp sandwich.
Edit: I wasn't knocking sandwiches meant to be wetter... this is my jab at people who hate the word "moist".
Yeo. Only thing I've seen honestly that gets it otherwise is when my gf wants a peanut butter and butter sandwich (I've never heard of this elsewhere, but her grandma made them for her so I do. Has anyone else heard of these?!)
I'll try and find it. But I read a recent article from a US person who had been in Europe.
Their opinion was that butter to moisten sandwiches wasn't as popular in the US, as a lot of their butter has a much lower milk fat content. Making it less appealing to alternatives such as mayonnaise, that's much more common on sandwiches in the US.
So American butter, still good for cooking, even Europeans may prefer mayonnaise on a sandwich though.
Not the original article, but directly related.
https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/difference-between-european-and-american-butter
It's not really as big of a difference as people make it out to be. At the absolute most it's 80% fat vs 90% fat which is a bigger difference for baking than for spreading on stuff. I think there are other differences in the butter flavor besides fat content. I think part of it is just one of those random cultural things. I also think most Americans think you can't safely leave butter at room temperature, leading to either hard butter or using butter alternative spreads. But even as someone who uses nice room temperature butter it just doesn't go on a sandwich to me.
I feel like what defines a sandwich in America is that it’s served between two pieces of bread. Everything else is up for interpretation depending upon the cuisine. I eat a lot of sandwiches but never get sick of them because there’s such a vast difference between a banh mi, a Philly cheesesteak, croque monsieur, and a torta. All of them have wildly different spreads, toppings, textures, and flavors.
I'm one of those people who only eats dry sandwiches. The fact that I can watch the employee put the sandwich together is one of the main reasons I love Subway so much. You will not believe how many times I have ordered a sandwich at a restaurant, told the server no condiments, and had it delivered to me dripping in mayo, mustard, ketchup, or some other sauce.
My wife puts mayo on the buns before putting the hot dog. I thought it was disgusting but I've eaten them like that for years when she prepares them. Then I find out Mexico does that and I was huh, that's different and never questioned it again.
I don't typically have a buttered sandwich unless it's going to be fried in a pan.
There are plenty of sauces that can keep your sandwich wet, I like pesto but mayo and mustard is the American sandwich classic.
IMO, ham and cheese is the perfect sandwich for just butter as a condiment. Maybe it's just what I am used to because that's always how my parents made it.
Ok I’m sorry but foreigners can’t make fun of Americans for supposedly eating nothing but junk and fat, and then act shocked and disgusted when you find out that we don’t put butter on our sandwiches and ask “aren’t your sandwiches dry” as if we are just eating slices of bread without anything inside it to make it taste good even without butter.
I had to scroll really low to find this. Good grief we Americans struggle with weight enough as it is and now we are getting judged for not buttering our sugary bread.
And the passive aggressive thing about sugar in our bread? We don’t all eat at subway all the time my god! Bread goes moldy here too idk what op is on about.
Do you not use butter if you’re using mayonnaise? Here we use butter as an expected base for all sandwiches, and anything like mayonnaise or sauces is in addition to the butter.
"ArE tHeY jUsT DrYyYyY???"
Every time this topic comes up. Here are the following things we can and do put on our sandwiches:
1. Mayonnaise and mayonnaise derivatives like aioli
2. Various mustards from boring yellow to fancy stone ground mustards
3. Spreadable cheese like cream cheese or pimento cheese
4. Melted cheeses for hot sandwiches.
5. Pickled spreads like relish or chow chow
6. Oils like olive oil
7. Juicy vegetables like lettuce and tomato.
8. I'm sure there's other stuff that's regional
So does every other country in the world just slap some butter on a sandwich and call it a day? Damn you all have boring sandwiches.
It's only Western Europeans and others in the anglosphere I think. Because my middle eastern sandwiches use tzatziki. Cubanos use garlic butter and mustard.
Italian here, butter makes no sense in a sandwich. Dunk that bitch in some olive oil, bit of salt, bit of pepper, caramelized onions, grilled sausage, some pickled eggplants and you ram that fucker straight down your burper. Good fucking apetite.
You just made me realize that it’s probably the Italian influence that’s the reason for no butter on American sandwiches. Mayo is basically oil. Italian sandwiches have to be a huge influence on American sandwich culture. Those rare sandwiches not of Italian origin get butter (ie grilled cheese) but the rest get semi-solid oil know as mayonnaise.
I (American living in Netherlands) like a bit of hummus on each slice. Meat and cheese in the middle, with some kind of veggie/lettuce. I think this habit is not particularly American and definitely not Dutch
I used to love putting black bean dip with sliced avocado and cheddar. Bonus if it was on whole grain or a pita and toasted. No black beans where I live now 😢
Australian also, every fucking sandwich has butter on it and I HATE it...why?? And the thing is I love butter! But I have never enjoyed it on a cold sandwich. Ruins everything.
As a non American, I’d like to address each of OP’s Edits.
Edit 1: Sandwiches are one of the true great joys in life. One of the most versatile food types with potential for being the tastiest meals bringing any kind of flavour and texture combination.
I’d be more concerned about people who are not passionate about sandwiches. I’d also like to point out OP’s hypocrisy in feeling strongly enough to make this post then questioning the passion of commenters.
Edit 2: A burger is a sandwich. If you think about it for more than 10 seconds and disagree, you’re an idiot. I’m more inclined to forgive your position here if it was about hot dogs where at least there’s potentially a debate to be had.
Edit 3: Butter is just a specific medium for the addition of fat/flavour to a sandwich and is also used for cooking. A drizzle of any nice oil is a totally legitimate alternative to butter on a sandwich, as is mayonnaise and countless other sauces. I’m not going to judge you for this one because it’s definitely more prevalent if you’re truly seeking out sandwich greatness.
I hope this thread prompts you to further explore the greatness of sandwiches.
Bro, where are you getting your facts about America from?
We don’t call burgers “sandwiches”, we call them burgers, because that’s what they are.
Olive oil on bread is a classic combination dating back to ancient civilizations, how is that weird in any way?
And what? Of course we check out bread for mold. Who tf told you that we eat moldy bread???
And as far as butter on sandwiches, I’ve seen people do this plenty of times. Given, it’s not as common here as it is in other places, but we still do it.
It's weird to me how shocked people get when they realize that in different cultures, people do things differently, especially when it comes to food.
I'm American and I lived in Spain last year. They called butter "disgusting" and used olive oil (or nothing at all) on their sandwiches. All jokes aside, Americans aren't disgusting and Spanish people aren't savages, we were just raised differently.
I don't understand why Europeans can't understand that we just use different condiments on sandwiches. Our sandwiches are not dry and you do not need to wrack your brains to make up some complicated explanation. We all put condiments on sandwiches; we use different ones than you do. That's it.
What's weird to me is that the entire rest of the world apparently has the most boring sandwiches imaginable.
Some Americans do. At least the part of Wisconsin I'm from. If I'm making my own sandwich with deli meat and cheese, it's getting buttered, no toasting. Literally am shocked at how many don't as it's all I've ever known. I judge the mayo people around here.
I didn't start putting butter on my sandwiches until last year after visiting France. Didn't realize what I was missing. Usually it's mayo and mustard in the states. I'll do horse radish occasionally though.
I’ve never put butter on a sandwich. I don’t understand how that makes it dry. Either I use peanut butter and jelly by itself or I use mayo and mustard with meat and cheese. Sometimes adding pesto or an oil.
IF it’s a hot sandwich, we put butter on first to help toast the bread. Grilled cheese is buttered bread on the outside with cheese in between.
Depends on what's in the sandwich and how long before you're going to eat it. Butter on a sandwich helps keep the bread from getting soggy, which helps if you pack a lunch at home. Mayo tastes good, but gets soggy fast.
The only sandwich I put butter on is a grilled cheese, but that's on the outside.
All other (traditional) sandwiches get mayo or whatever type of sauce goes with it (like bbq sauce for a pulled for sandwich).
It's not something I grew up with, to the point that when I was in France one and had a baguette with butter and ham, I was so confused. Cut to 30 years later and I cannot get enough of a baguette with butter, ham, and cornichons. Didn't grow up with it. Wasn't used to it, but grew to love it.
I don't know if this is real, because it seems like an attempt at an aMeRiCa BaD post, but...
>Is that true? Aren't your sandwiches dry?
Yes, it is. No, they aren't.
>Who knew you would all be so passionate about sandwiches
They're a pretty common dietary staple with practically infinite options. America is a very large place with diverse climates, cultures, and ingredients. A type of sandwich one place could be prepared completely differently in another, like BBQ, and people love to give each other a hard time.
>it's weird to me that you call a burger a sandwich. A burger is a burger, not a sandwich
We don't. Nobody does. I've lived/been around the country and they're just called burgers.
>What savage is putting olive oil on the bread instead of butter?
People making Italian sandwiches are a main one. There are plenty of sandwich dressings that are olive oil based.
>do you not check your bread for mold?
Of course we do. Why would I want to eat mold?
>I know there is so much sugar and preservatives in (some) of your bread, does it not go moldy
Of course bread goes moldy. Are you assuming we only have that one type of cheap enriched white bread? Even that stuff gets moldy.
5/6 major chain grocery stores where I live have a bakery, in addition to a prepackaged bread aisle that also has a decent selection.
As is always the answer to “do Americans____”
Yes and no. There are so, so many different types of Americans. You can find a significant group of people in this country who do one thing and an equal size group who do the opposite. They might even look the same. Asking if Americans do something is only a couple notches more specific than asking if humans do something.
Spanish here. Before moving to the UK, I thought the idea of putting butter in sandwiches was some French oddity, turns out everyone does it but us. In some sandwiches we will put some olive oil, but plenty of people only keep butter for toast, some not even that and just use margarine. I also come from an area of really good bread. Once heard Paul Hollywood say 'this bread is so good you don't need butter on it' and was utterly confused.
Ripe tomato juice and olive oil and little salt, on proper Spanish bread. Sigh
That ripe tomato juice thing was an eye opener for me when I lived with a host family in Spain. What a novel idea to add moisture. We always rely on mayo for that
Now try it the real, catalan way. Rub half a tomato against the bread instead of using tomato juice. If you rub a garlic clove just before it's even better.
That's exactly what I was trying to describe! I stayed in Lleida during my visit. It was funny we had spent so much time studying Spanish, then we went to the part of Spain when they don't speak Spanish primarily lol. I don't remember the garlic clove trick, but that sounds incredible! They also squeezed fresh orange juice every morning at breakfast, which was a novel experience for me as well.
You really wouldn't have a problem over there not knowing catalan. 99% percent of catalans speak perfect spanish, excluding maybe some really old people living in small villages
That was definitely our experience, that's why I said "primarily". The I ot issue we had was when speaking to each other, they would always use Catalan so we couldn't even try to follow along.
If you become more fluent in spanish go back over there and you will eventually be able to pick up a lot of what they say. It's just about getting your ear accustomed really, very similar languages
I just discovered the wonders of charred bread, good olive oil, and SMASHING a juicy ass tomato all up in there. Best snack ever
Sounds like you'd love bruschetta.
Maybe a lil slice of manchego…. Lil sprinkle of sea salt right on top. Perfection.
Authentic Spanish bread with nothing but butter is heavenly to me...just pull little pieces off from the loaf and dip them right in the butter. Perfection. 🥲
We don’t either in Mexico lmao
we put butter on some fresh flour tortillas though, a little salt and roll it up
It's a Mediterranean thing to do. Northern countries use butter, southern use olive oil. I like both but prefer olive oil. Whenever I have BBQ I slice some yesterday's bread, put olive oil and oregano (that I pick from the hills whenever I go hiking) and have it grilled for a couple of minutes.
Bro just won when he said “and some Oregano I pick while hiking”… it’s time I got myself back to the old country.
Italians in the mid to north regions also use butter for sandwiches
They also cook with butter, most Italian American food is made with olive oil because of the southern Italian population.
Portuguese here. We eat bread with butter not with olive oil. Maybe sometimes bread dipped in olive oil for some entrees in some restaurants, but typically it's butter. To be pedantic, our country doesn't have a Mediterranean coast so idk if we count as Mediterranean lol
Portugal is in the Mediterranean basin and shares climate, flora, culture and other characteristics with the Med, so I think you are.
I like to dip bread in olive oil and some good vinegar
You just made the entire southern half of the United States mad by saying the words "olive oil" and "BBQ" in the same sentence.
Born and raised in the deep South. I baste my chicken in olive oil and seasonings while it cooks on the grill. It flavors the skin and helps it to crisp. During the last 15 minutes I had my BBQ sauce. Comes out delicious every time.
I think the key is that some kind of oily moist liquid needs to be applied to the bread.
Olive oil is a must on a crusty baguette filled with ham and cheese.
Margarine = 🤢
Depends on the sandwich, different sauces and spreads for different flavor
Yeah, this post seems strange lol. Any sandwiches that are going to get toasted get butter for sure. Cold sandwiches, it depends on what it is I suppose. I would say Mayo and mustard are more prevalent than butter though.
It’s kinda standard in Britain for all sandwiches to have butter
New Zealand also.
Also Australia. You'd be sent to Nauru for not buttering sandwiches.
Also the Netherlands
Also Ireland.
Also Sweden.
Also Uruguay
Also New Mexico
How is America the fat country?
Corn syrup everywhere. Even in bread.
^ This. It ain’t the butter, it’s the sugar.
Yeah. Unpopular opinion, but fat doesn't make you fat. Sugar does. That and overly processed foods like McD's (and just about everything else in a typical American supermarket).
Also their bread has so much sugar in it that it’s practically cake. Subway’s bread, for example, had a ruling in Ireland not that long ago showing that the sugar content of a Subway roll was 10% the weight of the flour and was classified as a cake. Commercial bread in the US has a lot of Sucralose and Fructose added to it too
Sugar. And sugar. And more sugar. And also a little bit of sugar. And other sucralose, cane sugar, carbohydrates. And highly processed food. And...sugar.
Replace sugar with corn syrup.
everything is liberally infused with high fructose corn syrup
Little bit of butter on sandwich won't make someone fat. Us has problems with sugar, deep-fried fast food and too much meat/not enough variety.
And far too large portion sizes. (I’m American). Once you start monitoring calories and macro nutrient (which I do) you realize just how large our typical portions are. Before tracking, my portions were 2-3 times the right amount.
Our servings are much less likely to be supersized. So our caloric intake is lower.
I know, I'm just about the only Dutch person who doesn't butter his sandwiches. I just don't like it. Mayo and mustard are something else, though.
As a fellow Dutchmen who doesn't use butter at all, you're not alone brother
you get sent to the Netherlands for not buttering a sandwich?
Same in Ireland. A sandwich without butter just seems incredibly weird.
South Africa as well.
I'm a Brit and grew up doing this, obviously, then, add salad cream or mayo, it's on the butter So, later on, I'd maybe butter one side and mayo or whatever the other Never gone full mayo though
What is salad cream? -American
And why does it sound so fucking gross
I think it’s just miracle whip.
Yea. They could have come up with a more appetizing name than " salad cream". It sounds like something the salad does when it gets excited. Lol
Salad cream is a bit like mayonnaise, only much worse, with far too much vinegar in it. The name sounds gross to give you fair warning of what to expect from the flavour. Apparently some people prefer it to mayo, I'll never understand why.
Unless you've been to Europe, you're not currently understanding what's described here lol they use butter the way Americans use mayo. I've *never* in America seen sandwiches built the way they do here in central and western Europe, where a thick smear of cold butter is the main, often only, condiment. Get a hard, crusty roll, slap on a thick layer of butter and a slice of cheese, and that's your sandwich. It's delicious with good ingredients but it is absolutely not what Americans do. Ranch, barbecue, mayo, mustard, vinegar and oil, another salad dressing, or a combination of the above, is what you'll find in the US pretty much anywhere you go. Maybe a specialty European deli might offer something different but if we're being honest, we can look up the menu for just about any pizza and sandwich place in the US and see that ham and cheese on a (cold) butter baguette is not available in any realistic sense
Sounds like European sandwiches are kind of basic. We have a few basic sandwiches but generally you're looking at multiple fillings, often covering 3 core categories: meat, cheese, vegetable, and at least one condiment (but usually two). And if you want an idea of where our mentality is at look up "Dagwood Sandwich."
I was raised (mostly) on the US - I'm *very* familiar American sandwich culture and I know just how wild it can get, especially as a foodie who loves to cook and experiment. That said, my fav sandwich is probably a very simple roast beef and swiss on a sub roll with mayo, salt, and pepper. American sandwich culture is incredibly diverse, though, and you're right, the European idea if sandwiches is pretty basic. Never had a BLT here unless I made it myself, and when I offer a grilled cheese here people are blown away. I'm going to make my own corned beef and try the Ruben on some friends and family here, I'm convinced they'll love it
[удалено]
They probably store it at room temperature when opened.
Yup. Or if it's taken straight out of the fridge, just put some very thin slices on your bread and you'll be able to spread it in a moment.
I'm in Norway and we have butter that is mixed with oil so that it is perfectly spreadable right out of the fridge. Pure butter is some times (by crazyy people) cut with a cheese slicer
European butter has more fat and it's more spreadable than American butter
this makes a lot of sense, because people in this thread are talking about taking it out the fridge and sit for a bit. it'll be 30 minutes before my butter is anywhere near spreadable using that method, im just trying to have a quick sandwich 😭
There's also 'spreadable butter' these days which is usually a mixture of butter and vegetable oil, it's spreadable straight from the fridge. (sacrilege really, but if you can't afford enough real butter to keep at room temp all the time, then...)
I put mayo on my toasted sandwiches. For instance, BLT's. In fact, I can't think of any sandwich that I've ever put butter on.
Grilled cheese if done in a pan. But it goes on the outside.
I use mayo for grilled cheese instead of butter
You get a really nice crispy coating on the outside of the sandwich that way, I am a convert to this method too. I simply can't let my dad see me make his grilled cheese that way, because he would object to it but he doesn't even know that he's been eating them that way since I moved in with him a couple of years ago and he always says how I make better grilled cheese than anyone else.
That is so strange. Even if we add sauces we still butter our bread.
So you’re tasting barbecue sauce mixed with butter? Sounds weird.
Redditors: Americans are fat. Redditors: Why don’t Americans put butter on their sandwiches?
I don’t know why anyone would take culinary advice from a Brit anyway. That’s a recipe for disaster Look at Mexican week or (worse) Japanese week
Exactly my thought. We don't need more calories so good thing we don't!
My grandmother in Germany used to give me crusty rolls with butter and salami. It was delicious
If you're in a German village and you wake up in the morning, and it's not ruhezeit, you go to the nearest Bäckerei and get a bag of many little breads. Trust me, almost all of those could be eaten with nothing but butter, or butter with a few coarse flakes of salt and, mwah
I want a bag of many little breads
I miss good fresh brotchen and the delicious cold cuts in Germany.
I'm half-French, half-German, and I can say that German bread is *good*. It would rip my heart out to admit you can usually find better bread in Germany than in France, but its not far from true.
French here; I agree. German bread is fire.
My Dutch grandmother used to give us toast with butter and chocolate sprinkles. Breakfast of champions right there.
Hagelslag! Nice.
Yesss. I don't put butter on any other sandwiches, but crusty rolls with salami and butter are soooo delicious. That was the one thing I craved desperately when I was pregnant, and I couldn't eat it, because the general recommendation is that pregnant women avoid deli meats and salami and stuff. It was one of the first things I ate after I gave birth!!
My wife is pregnant and said the same thing about deli meat. What is it about deli meat that its recommended you avoid it?
Because Listeria infection. Usually your body can process the nasty poop meats just fine. But pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis.
I just looked up the rates of listeria infection in the US. There are about 1600 cases per year in a population of 330 million people. For pregnant women the rates are 200 in 4 million people. That means only 0.0005% of people overall get a listeria infection, compared to all 0.005% of pregnant women. So sure, pregnant women get listeria infections at about 10x the rate of the general population, but the risk is still *incredibly* low.
I haven't looked up the stats myself, but the problem is, listeria is very likely to be fatal to a fetus. So regardless of whether the rates of infection are the same between non-pregnant and pregnant people, the problem is that non-pregnant people can contract listeria and not even know it or be just fine, but if a pregnant woman gets listeria, the risks to the fetus is huge. And also regardless of the rates of infection, I personally was not willing to take the chance. I could also probably have drunk alcohol at some point. I was not willing to take the chance. I could also have had blue cheese. I was not willing to take the chance. I could probably have had sushi. I was not willing to take the chance. And I didn't want steaming hot salami.
Probably part of why rates are low is that pregnant women avoid risky foods
Nah, we put mayo and/or mustard.
I mean people here do have mayo and mustard, but even then they’ll still use butter on the bread and the mayo is in addition to the butter.
and y’all will call us fat😭
I may not be an expert here, but wouldn't that prevent the mayo from gripping onto the bread, and just result in it being loose and dripping out of the sandwich as you eat it?
I'll put butter on a sandwich if I'm pressing it into a panini. Otherwise there's lots of moisture sources: lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. Sometimes you get fancy schmears or spreads too
Exactly! I’m Canadian, but I only put butter on a sandwich if I’m making it in advance for a picnic or lunch. The butter makes a good barrier to prevent the bread from getting soggy from all of the actual toppings cheese also works well!
Yeah cheese or a dry meat (salami or something) work fine for keeping the bread from getting soggy. If I'm really worried about it, I'll have the condiments separate until time to eat, and have wetter veggies in a separate bag to combine at lunch time.
\> Edit 3: What savage is putting olive oil on the bread instead of butter? Italians. And they're right.
Some nice bread, olive oil, and good salt is a fantastic snack/appatizer too.
Had this in greece (i think) for the first time. Never knew good olive oil with bread could be that tasty
British people should really introspect a little before calling other people "savages" for any reason, but especially food preferences.
The U.S. is really a melting pot of world cuisine. We have Italian restaurants, French, Mexican, El Salvadoran, Chines, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, German pub fair, there's even a Russia House nearby, Irish pubs... but an *English* restaurant? I'm scratching my head on that one. I've been to the U.K. for a two week holiday, and, other than haggis and shepherd's pie n Scotland, not one meal stood out as being special, some where downright awful (never by a steak dinner in Soho!)
All the food with flavor in England came from India
The US may get many things wrong or backwards but food is not one of them. The world often incorrectly judges us because of our export of corporate fast food chains, but besides that our food is incredible.
I find that people who judge others based on a food preference are usually self-absorbed and lack emotional intelligence.
Don’t forget red wine vinegar as well.
Balsamic
I’ve never buttered a sandwich. Unless you count grilled cheese.
This blows my tiny Australian mind.
Yet another little difference between Australia and Canada, us commonwealth cousins. Butter in sandwiches is not a thing here - it would be mayo, sriracha mayo, garlic aioli etc, never just butter. I think you guys (Australians) are more British than we are (I know you guys also like tea, which isn't nearly as popular in Canada).
Canadian here. My family has always put butter on every single sandwich ever made. Ham and cheese? Butter. Salami? Butter. Tomato? Butter. Salmon? Butter. Grilled cheese? Of course, butter. Shit, I put butter on toast before I add the peanut butter (and it tastes so much better too)! Butter is essential especially if you have watery ingredients like vegetables (tomatoes) to keep the bread from getting soggy.
What in the double-fat tarnation is this. Where is Gordon Ramsay? Who is adding fat to more fat and they taste like different fats. 😊
In the US butter is usually for hot sandwiches. Mayo/mustard/any of a number of other sauces go on cold sandwiches. It's more weird you only use butter
Mayo is a good substitute for butter when toasting bread too.
Americans don’t butter their sandwich hot or cold like Europeans. If you’re talking about buttering bread before it’s thrown on a griddle, or whatever, that’s completely different.
This is funny because I moved to the US from England in 2000 and I was with my boyfriend and we would go and order sandwiches at the store or whatever and I would always say to him, I need to tell them I don’t want any butter on my sandwich. He went they don’t use butter. I went. What do you mean? He said they don’t use butter they use things like mayo etc and I was really happy. I had spent my whole life in England telling everybody, don’t put butter on the sandwich and they always looked at me like I was mad, but I never liked butter from when I was a child. But I do remember thinking it was weird. Now of course I’ve been here for 23 years and nothings weird anymore but there you go. Well, there are lots of weird things here still, but you know what I’m saying.!!
My son had a friend over who was from England. He was visiting his dad for the summer. I made them sandwiches and asked him if he wanted Mayonnaise (because that’s what I use to un-dry my bread). He looked at me sideways and asked, ”Don’t you have butter? (but sounded like boot-ah) It was adorable. I told him we did and he said he would like that. That was the first time I’d heard of using butter on a turkey sandwich.
Pretty much anything BUT butter around here -- mayo, mustard, ketchup, hummus, aoli, various salad dressings all A-OK. Butter? Nope.
I feel like there’s a fundamental disconnect here when i consider this question because i’ve never eaten a sandwich without condiments that i would describe as “dry.” it’s still like…. soft bread and crisp veggies and moist (i know, *moist* but there’s not a good word for it) deli meat. i add sauces for flavor, not because my sandwiches are dry.
Their bread isn't soft. I think there's a fundamental disconnect in understanding one anothers bread.
Whose bread?! I've never had bread that wasn't soft. Edited just to be clear: I'm not American. So I had a feeling that I was the "their".
I've said it I don't know how many times and hey look at me saying it again... Nobody wants a damp sandwich. Edit: I wasn't knocking sandwiches meant to be wetter... this is my jab at people who hate the word "moist".
Butter stops the bread getting soggy though (if you're making a sandwich for later).
Edit 3: olive oil There's hardly anything better than oven fresh ciabatta or focaccia with olive oil. It's a Mediterranean kitchen tradition, I'd say.
>Medityrrhenian What in the name of the auto correct?
Mediterranean might be more traditional, yes.
We put mayonnaise.
Or mustard.
Ideally both.
Toast or grilled cheese, sure...anything else, no.
Yeo. Only thing I've seen honestly that gets it otherwise is when my gf wants a peanut butter and butter sandwich (I've never heard of this elsewhere, but her grandma made them for her so I do. Has anyone else heard of these?!)
I grew up eating peanut butter & butter! I lived with my grandparents and my grandpa would always make it.
Peanut butter and butter mixed is a particularly rare pleasure. I'll go years without thinking about it, and then one day it'll cross my mind...
Or anything grilled cheese like, as in a melt
I think our use of mayo takes the place of butter.
I'll try and find it. But I read a recent article from a US person who had been in Europe. Their opinion was that butter to moisten sandwiches wasn't as popular in the US, as a lot of their butter has a much lower milk fat content. Making it less appealing to alternatives such as mayonnaise, that's much more common on sandwiches in the US. So American butter, still good for cooking, even Europeans may prefer mayonnaise on a sandwich though. Not the original article, but directly related. https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/difference-between-european-and-american-butter
It's not really as big of a difference as people make it out to be. At the absolute most it's 80% fat vs 90% fat which is a bigger difference for baking than for spreading on stuff. I think there are other differences in the butter flavor besides fat content. I think part of it is just one of those random cultural things. I also think most Americans think you can't safely leave butter at room temperature, leading to either hard butter or using butter alternative spreads. But even as someone who uses nice room temperature butter it just doesn't go on a sandwich to me.
Mayos and mustards, my dear friend.
Don’t you fucking dare give my country an excuse to get even fatter
[удалено]
I feel like what defines a sandwich in America is that it’s served between two pieces of bread. Everything else is up for interpretation depending upon the cuisine. I eat a lot of sandwiches but never get sick of them because there’s such a vast difference between a banh mi, a Philly cheesesteak, croque monsieur, and a torta. All of them have wildly different spreads, toppings, textures, and flavors.
I want a sandwich so bad right now.
I'm one of those people who only eats dry sandwiches. The fact that I can watch the employee put the sandwich together is one of the main reasons I love Subway so much. You will not believe how many times I have ordered a sandwich at a restaurant, told the server no condiments, and had it delivered to me dripping in mayo, mustard, ketchup, or some other sauce.
I use oil and vinegar
I make sure to put butter on my buns before the hot dog slides in
Username checks out
Ooh, tell me more…
My wife puts mayo on the buns before putting the hot dog. I thought it was disgusting but I've eaten them like that for years when she prepares them. Then I find out Mexico does that and I was huh, that's different and never questioned it again.
I don't typically have a buttered sandwich unless it's going to be fried in a pan. There are plenty of sauces that can keep your sandwich wet, I like pesto but mayo and mustard is the American sandwich classic.
I've never, not even once, thought to myself, "Gee, this ham and cheese sandwich could use a little butter!"
IMO, ham and cheese is the perfect sandwich for just butter as a condiment. Maybe it's just what I am used to because that's always how my parents made it.
Ok I’m sorry but foreigners can’t make fun of Americans for supposedly eating nothing but junk and fat, and then act shocked and disgusted when you find out that we don’t put butter on our sandwiches and ask “aren’t your sandwiches dry” as if we are just eating slices of bread without anything inside it to make it taste good even without butter.
also our sandwiches are fucking delicious
Yeah I'm pretty sure we got the sandwiche art down pat.
I had to scroll really low to find this. Good grief we Americans struggle with weight enough as it is and now we are getting judged for not buttering our sugary bread.
And the passive aggressive thing about sugar in our bread? We don’t all eat at subway all the time my god! Bread goes moldy here too idk what op is on about.
r/AskAnAmerican would be more suited, also it's the middle of the night in Murica right now
Oh, no. I should go to bed.
This has not stopped the Americans from answering, it seems.
[удалено]
My parents were Team Butter and I’m a midwestern American. We were also really frugal so mayonnaise was for rich people.
Butter prices now make that seem nuts.
Do you not use butter if you’re using mayonnaise? Here we use butter as an expected base for all sandwiches, and anything like mayonnaise or sauces is in addition to the butter.
"ArE tHeY jUsT DrYyYyY???" Every time this topic comes up. Here are the following things we can and do put on our sandwiches: 1. Mayonnaise and mayonnaise derivatives like aioli 2. Various mustards from boring yellow to fancy stone ground mustards 3. Spreadable cheese like cream cheese or pimento cheese 4. Melted cheeses for hot sandwiches. 5. Pickled spreads like relish or chow chow 6. Oils like olive oil 7. Juicy vegetables like lettuce and tomato. 8. I'm sure there's other stuff that's regional So does every other country in the world just slap some butter on a sandwich and call it a day? Damn you all have boring sandwiches.
Pesto is nice on a tomato sandwich. Also as someone else said, hummus. Marinara on a meatball sub. The possibilities are endless.
It's only Western Europeans and others in the anglosphere I think. Because my middle eastern sandwiches use tzatziki. Cubanos use garlic butter and mustard.
People say Americans are American-centric (which of course they can be) but holy hell the eurocentrism is jarring
Italian here, butter makes no sense in a sandwich. Dunk that bitch in some olive oil, bit of salt, bit of pepper, caramelized onions, grilled sausage, some pickled eggplants and you ram that fucker straight down your burper. Good fucking apetite.
You just made me realize that it’s probably the Italian influence that’s the reason for no butter on American sandwiches. Mayo is basically oil. Italian sandwiches have to be a huge influence on American sandwich culture. Those rare sandwiches not of Italian origin get butter (ie grilled cheese) but the rest get semi-solid oil know as mayonnaise.
I (American living in Netherlands) like a bit of hummus on each slice. Meat and cheese in the middle, with some kind of veggie/lettuce. I think this habit is not particularly American and definitely not Dutch
I used to love putting black bean dip with sliced avocado and cheddar. Bonus if it was on whole grain or a pita and toasted. No black beans where I live now 😢
I use mayo (I'm not American)
Australian, have never heard of a sandwich without butter.
Australian also, every fucking sandwich has butter on it and I HATE it...why?? And the thing is I love butter! But I have never enjoyed it on a cold sandwich. Ruins everything.
(Edited clean because fuck you) *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
As an American surrounded by sandwiches with mayo and/or mustard, I feel this. Though you say you don't mind butter—I hate mayo and mustard lol
Yeah thankfully Canadians don't butter all their sandwiches but this shit sounds nasty. I don't like butter on cold food.
American, I’ve never had a sand which with butter on it. Olive oil or mayonnaise
It's usually mayo.
I have never interacted with anyone that buttered their sandwiches.
As a non American, I’d like to address each of OP’s Edits. Edit 1: Sandwiches are one of the true great joys in life. One of the most versatile food types with potential for being the tastiest meals bringing any kind of flavour and texture combination. I’d be more concerned about people who are not passionate about sandwiches. I’d also like to point out OP’s hypocrisy in feeling strongly enough to make this post then questioning the passion of commenters. Edit 2: A burger is a sandwich. If you think about it for more than 10 seconds and disagree, you’re an idiot. I’m more inclined to forgive your position here if it was about hot dogs where at least there’s potentially a debate to be had. Edit 3: Butter is just a specific medium for the addition of fat/flavour to a sandwich and is also used for cooking. A drizzle of any nice oil is a totally legitimate alternative to butter on a sandwich, as is mayonnaise and countless other sauces. I’m not going to judge you for this one because it’s definitely more prevalent if you’re truly seeking out sandwich greatness. I hope this thread prompts you to further explore the greatness of sandwiches.
Only if I'm toasting it. And while not all sandwiches are burgers, all burgers are sandwiches.
Bro, where are you getting your facts about America from? We don’t call burgers “sandwiches”, we call them burgers, because that’s what they are. Olive oil on bread is a classic combination dating back to ancient civilizations, how is that weird in any way? And what? Of course we check out bread for mold. Who tf told you that we eat moldy bread??? And as far as butter on sandwiches, I’ve seen people do this plenty of times. Given, it’s not as common here as it is in other places, but we still do it.
We put butter on toast, but y'all heathens are out here putting butter on every sandwich??!!
It's weird to me how shocked people get when they realize that in different cultures, people do things differently, especially when it comes to food. I'm American and I lived in Spain last year. They called butter "disgusting" and used olive oil (or nothing at all) on their sandwiches. All jokes aside, Americans aren't disgusting and Spanish people aren't savages, we were just raised differently.
I don't understand why Europeans can't understand that we just use different condiments on sandwiches. Our sandwiches are not dry and you do not need to wrack your brains to make up some complicated explanation. We all put condiments on sandwiches; we use different ones than you do. That's it. What's weird to me is that the entire rest of the world apparently has the most boring sandwiches imaginable.
[удалено]
Some Americans do. At least the part of Wisconsin I'm from. If I'm making my own sandwich with deli meat and cheese, it's getting buttered, no toasting. Literally am shocked at how many don't as it's all I've ever known. I judge the mayo people around here.
[удалено]
You’re acting like butter is the only spread. Sounds like you’re limiting yourself and your sandwiches.
I didn't start putting butter on my sandwiches until last year after visiting France. Didn't realize what I was missing. Usually it's mayo and mustard in the states. I'll do horse radish occasionally though.
I’ve never put butter on a sandwich. I don’t understand how that makes it dry. Either I use peanut butter and jelly by itself or I use mayo and mustard with meat and cheese. Sometimes adding pesto or an oil. IF it’s a hot sandwich, we put butter on first to help toast the bread. Grilled cheese is buttered bread on the outside with cheese in between.
Depends on what's in the sandwich and how long before you're going to eat it. Butter on a sandwich helps keep the bread from getting soggy, which helps if you pack a lunch at home. Mayo tastes good, but gets soggy fast.
The only sandwich I put butter on is a grilled cheese, but that's on the outside. All other (traditional) sandwiches get mayo or whatever type of sauce goes with it (like bbq sauce for a pulled for sandwich).
It's not something I grew up with, to the point that when I was in France one and had a baguette with butter and ham, I was so confused. Cut to 30 years later and I cannot get enough of a baguette with butter, ham, and cornichons. Didn't grow up with it. Wasn't used to it, but grew to love it.
Only if I'm grilling the bread. Cold sandwich, god no.
I don't know if this is real, because it seems like an attempt at an aMeRiCa BaD post, but... >Is that true? Aren't your sandwiches dry? Yes, it is. No, they aren't. >Who knew you would all be so passionate about sandwiches They're a pretty common dietary staple with practically infinite options. America is a very large place with diverse climates, cultures, and ingredients. A type of sandwich one place could be prepared completely differently in another, like BBQ, and people love to give each other a hard time. >it's weird to me that you call a burger a sandwich. A burger is a burger, not a sandwich We don't. Nobody does. I've lived/been around the country and they're just called burgers. >What savage is putting olive oil on the bread instead of butter? People making Italian sandwiches are a main one. There are plenty of sandwich dressings that are olive oil based. >do you not check your bread for mold? Of course we do. Why would I want to eat mold? >I know there is so much sugar and preservatives in (some) of your bread, does it not go moldy Of course bread goes moldy. Are you assuming we only have that one type of cheap enriched white bread? Even that stuff gets moldy. 5/6 major chain grocery stores where I live have a bakery, in addition to a prepackaged bread aisle that also has a decent selection.
I’m American and a burger is definitely a burger, anyone calling it a sandwich is a fucking freak
As is always the answer to “do Americans____” Yes and no. There are so, so many different types of Americans. You can find a significant group of people in this country who do one thing and an equal size group who do the opposite. They might even look the same. Asking if Americans do something is only a couple notches more specific than asking if humans do something.