The 🥪s that were

Well, I finally recovered from the jet lag I was living through after returning from my shows in Dublin and London. Want to hear something wild? In the show at a certain point, I play an animation that’s kind of a bio about me since I don’t really share that on the channel. I get back on stage and woman sitting in the front row asks, “Did you go to Valhalla High School?” Shocked that anyone in London would know that let alone where it was located, I said yes. Turns out, she did too and graduated the year after I did 🤯 Stupidly, I didn’t get her name so that was you, you really did blow my mind.

Quick programming note. I am going to take some weeks off from posting on Sandwiches of History as my mom passed away yesterday. It was something that had been expected for a very long time but still, I need some time to be with family.

Anyway, here are sandwiches that were.

The Sandwiches of the Week 🥪

Monday, July 21, 2025
Egg Club Sandwich
1,001 Sandwiches

Rating: 6 1/2
Plus ups: Everything But The Bagel seasoning blend
Plussed up rating: 7 1/2

Yes, this was probably meant to eat with a knife and fork. But that still doesn’t really explain the oddball building technique used. Why not put the tomato and mayonnaise inside the sandwich? Why not have the poached egg on top of the sandwich so it act as a sauce. Flavor-wise it tasty though. Made even tastier by plussing it up with the Everything But The Bagel seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Pearl Onion Sandwich (1918)
Florida Salads

Rating: 5 1/2
Plus up: Swiss cheese
Plussed up rating: 6

I can honestly say that I never contemplated using cocktail onions for anything other than a Gibson. But with the butter, mayonnaise, and lettuce in there to tamp down the bite a little, it was actually pretty ok. Plussed it up with a little Swiss cheese. The nuttiness of the cheese added another dimension without overwhelming the onions (which, let’s face it, would be kinda hard to do)

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Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Peanut Butter and Marmalade Sandwich (1927)
The Old Vanity Fair Tea Room Recipes

Rating: 5
Plus up: Chinese Five Spice, ground up Sichuan peppercorns, and a top piece of bread
Plussed up ratings: 6 1/2

The mixing of peanut butter and marmalade was a new for me. Yet, it makes a lot of sense as it ensures you get a relatively even mix of both with each bite. And in the case of a closed sandwich, would make it a tad more less squirmy. Also new to me was running the open faced sandwich under the broiler. It was exactly what was promised though. Hot (temperature) peanut butter and marmalade on bread. So I plussed it up with ingredients that work well peanut butter and marmalade and which bought a I nice collection of warm spices and tingly sensation.

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Thursday, July 24, 2025
Cheese & Anchovy Sandwich (1939)
The American Woman’s Cook Book

Rating: 5 1/2
Plus up: Slice of tomato with black pepper
Plussed up rating: 6 1/2

Finally, an older recipe that calls for anchovy paste but only a judicious amount! It was still a bit salty but nowhere near the salt lick status of some of these recipes. Added a slice of tomato seasoned with black pepper only which not only served to knock down the salt a bit more but also brought a little sweet counterbalance as well.

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Friday, July 25, 2025
Swiss Cheese Sandwich (1925)
The Chattanooga News

Rating: 7
Plus up: Dill pickles
Plussed up rating: 7 1/2

I think the most shocking thing about this recipe was how well balanced it was. After all, it’s from 1925 and cookbooks of that era had some questionable recipes. The star of the sandwich was, indeed, Swiss cheese. Plussed it up with the pickle pop of dill pickles because I love the combination of Swiss cheese, mustard, and dill pickles.

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Saturday, July 26, 2025
Cheese Bun
Our History

Rating: 7
Plus up: Bomba Sauce (Trader Joe’s Calabrian chili paste)
Plussed up rating: 7 1/2

I’ve made a few sandwiches like this from the old cookbooks. Some work better than others. This one worked great. I wasn’t sure about mixing in hardboiled egg then broiling again but it was solid. Plussed it up with the fruity, slightly herbal heat of Calabrian chili paste. Yum!

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Sunday, July 27, 2025
Iron Toast (Turkey)
International Sandwich Sunday

Rating: 10
Plus up: None

This was a flavor bonanza. The smokey sujuk to the tangy, melty sheep’s milk cheese to the spicy aleppo pepper to the egg - it was just delicious. Could’ve added some pickled onions or dill pickles or pepperoncini but I couldn’t stop eating it to make that happen.

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In The Chips with Barry 🥪

Taylors Potato Crips Haggis and Black pepper potato chips

I’ve not had haggis so no idea if they nailed the flavor. They were kinda oaty and did have a mild black pepper flavor to them though.

Norse Roots Smoky Mischief Honey Barbeque potato chips

This tasty little numbers are cooked in beef tallow. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against seed oils (as some might infer from my love of beef tallow) but the tallow brings so much flavor to the party. Then you add in honey barbeque?

Brets French Blue Cheese potato chips

Man, if you see Brets just buy them. I’ve never had a bad flavor from them. In fact, almost all the flavors I’ve tried were 5 stars. For reals.

Can It Sandwich?

You can probably guess the results, right?

Alrighty, then. That’s a wrap on last week. Again, I am taking a couple weeks off but will be sure to fire this back up after I am back.

Cheers,
Barry