The time is gone when molecular gastronomy was in fashion, blithely confusing a workbench with a countertop, aroma with smoke, sauces with precipitates. After a period dedicated to street food, especially Asian or Levantine, here comes the comeback of traditional dishes, of authenticity, of tradition and soil, of bountiful and generous plates. A safe haven in these times of health crisis and uncertainties of all kinds. Our food will always tell us something about ourselves, our concerns and our state of mind.
After grandma’s recipes—dishes for family and friends, sandwiches are now celebrated all over the press. In France, they were renamed as “dwiches”, in order to seduce Gen Zers, always eager for signs of recognition. Pessimists will point out that sandwiches never really disappeared and that a walk around train stations will finish convincing you. The classic ham and butter sandwich in a baguette is still around and the only revolution it has undergone is the triangular cut from the British Isles. That’s right. Nevertheless, it has gained its letters of nobility since many chefs have considered its destiny and decided to offer it, either Prince de Paris ham (everything is said), competition bread or PDO cheeses.
Now is the time of meeting other cultures, including Japanese (of course) in the form of the Katsu sando, the iconic sandwich from the land of the rising sun, based on hokkaido, a sort of sliced bread with Kobe beef, breaded pork chops or tuna melt. We could also mention the Triple-Decker (very high as its name shows) or the Lobster roll, both born in the US.The sandwich is being completely reinvented, all the better, as the desire to eat out is in the air.
Always the same and always different, always identifiable and always renewed, well-known and unexpected… Sandwiches are unsurprisingly always a success! Innovation is all the more accepted when it is based on familiar and popular elements.