The History of Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

The ham and cheese sandwich was first introduced to the U.S. in the 1800s. Prior to that, it had been popular in England for roughly a century. It should also be noted that other cultures also have their own versions of the ham and cheese sandwich with their own unique histories, including the French croque-monsieur, the Cuban cubano, and the Brazilian misto-quente. The American version first gained popularity in the mid-1800s when it began to show up in cookbooks such as Eliza Leslie’s Directions for Cookery in Its Various Branches (1840), which laid out a simple preparation using bread, butter, a little mustard, and cold boiled ham. Notably, the ham and cheese sandwich served as the go-to ballpark food from the 1800s through 1909, when hot dogs were introduced at New York ballparks and became the iconic baseball snack we know and love today. In the 1900s, the ham and cheese sandwich became popular lunch fare; since sliced bread became widely available around the time, the sandwich was very easy to prepare. Since it was highly portable, it was particularly popular among workers and schoolchildren. Today, the ham and cheese sandwich is still considered a lunchbox staple and continues to be a popular food choice all over the United States.