Who first invented the sandwich? – This question probably does not have an exact answer. After all, it is so natural to put a lot of meat between two pieces of bread. Probably, it is a collective human invention – we thought so until we learned that the idea of creating a sandwich has its author, who, incidentally, gave its name to this culinary invention.
His name was John Montague, IV Earl of Sandwich. He had an excellent education and at the age of 21 was already a member of the House of Lords. His career began with the appointment to the post of Special Commissioner of the Admiralty and conferring on him the rank of colonel.
During his life, John Montague served as Minister of Postal Services, was the first Lord of the Admiralty. He befriended James Cook, who even named the islands he discovered in the Pacific Ocean after his friend Sandwich.
But it was not because of his bureaucratic career that John Montegrew was destined to go down in history.
How Count Sandwich invented the sandwich
Version number 1
Being a gambler, the count spent a lot of time playing cards. And once he sat for more than a day for the game. Fatigue and hunger took their toll, but, unable to stop to dine, as befits an aristocrat – with a fork and knife – and not wanting to soil the cards, Count Sandwich ordered to serve him meat, “packed” on both sides in pieces of bread.
The “convenient” idea appealed to John’s colleagues at the card table, and they also began to order “the same as Sandwich!”. The sandwich allowed to satisfy hunger without stopping gambling, and this was its main advantage.
Version number 2
The second version is the opposite of the first. Some historians say that in fact Count Sandwich was a serious man, not a grief-stricken player. And his know-how – a two-sided sandwich that does not contaminate his hands – was invented to save money and time.
The Count could eat a sandwich without leaving his serious public affairs, and the cost of the meal was quite affordable, because the Count loved the usual corned beef on a piece of bread.
Whatever it was, but now that we are eating a sandwich, we owe it to the legendary John Montague, IV Earl of Sandwich.