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Brave man tries some of history's strangest sandwiches, including banana and liverwurst
Long before the Earl of Sandwich gave the dish its name, folks were sticking various ingredients—some genius, some highly questionable—between two pieces of bread. Arguably, what has made the sandwich withstand the test of time is that it virtually has no rules as far as fillings go. So, even in times of economic hardship, one could place whatever items they had on hand in between a measly couple of slices of toast, and it could still be considered a meal.Still, while we applaud the ingenuity, certain sandwich recipes have stayed in the past for a good reason, as food enthusiast Barry W. Enderwick can attest. Over on his wildly popular Sandwiches of History account, Enderwick recreates historical sandwich recipes from old cookbooks, rates and reviews them, and even sometimes “pluses them up” with added ingredients to really make it sing. As to be expected, some sandwiches, such as Gene Kelly’s Greatest Man Sandwich, featuring mashed potatoes and accompanied by a mug of beer, were surprise delights. Others…not so much. If there’s one thing to be learned after reading this, it’s that people in olden times put sardines where sardines should absolutely not be. Thankfully, Enderwick has bravely volunteered to be a taste-tester. Here are some of his most head-scratching recreations. Apple Sandwich (1910) @sandwichesofhistory Apple Sandwich (1910) on Sandwiches of History Perhaps after yesterday’s Banana and Liverwurst Sandwich I should be leery of fruit based sandwiches. Thankfully, today’s Apple Sandwich from 250 Meatless Menus and Recipes of 1910 has no curveball ingredients. In fact, it is a very nice refresher…especially after yesterday. #fyp #sandwichesofhistory #apple ♬ original sound - SandwichesofHistory This recipe was gleaned from 250 Meatless Meals and Recipes. Mix half of a peeled and grated tart apple with cream cheese and heavy cream. Season with nutmeg and spread onto whole wheat bread. Yeah, it’s easy to see why Enderwick gave it an 8 and dubbed it a “very nice refresher.”Spaghetti Sandwich (1931) @sandwichesofhistory Spaghetti Sandwich (1931) on Sandwiches of History Every once in a while…well, ok more often than I’d like, there comes a sandwich with a name that belies what it is really in it. To wit, today’s Spaghetti Sandwich from the St. Louis Dispatch published 1931. Is there spaghetti in it? Sure, but it’s the other ingredients and the bread that do a number on this sandwich. Shout out to Jesse who sent in this...I think? lol #fyp #sandwichesofhistory ♬ original sound - SandwichesofHistory You’d think this one would be self-explanatory: tomato sauce, meat, and cheese between two slices of bread…maybe some noodles if we’re going crazy. But spend any time with Sandwiches of History, and all you learn that many sandwiches are incredibly misleading with their names, and the Spaghetti Sandwich is one of them.There are, in fact, spaghetti noodles involved, along with a sieved hard-boiled egg, chopped onion, parsley, mayo, sardines, all mashed together into a paste and served on…what for it…buttered raisin breadTo no one's surprise, Enderwick threw it into the trash and gave it a 1.Banana and Liverwurst Sandwich (1931) @sandwichesofhistory Banana and Liverwurst Sandwich (1931) on Sandwiches of History I know what you’re thinking, “finally, the great tasted of liverwurst and the great taste of banana in one sandwich!” Slow your roll because you’re forgetting about the awesome power of ketchup which obviously bring those to flavors together. See also sarcasm. Ever since seeing this posted over on 70s Dinner Party’s on Instagram account I knew I’d have to tackle it. Better to rip the band aid off in go, right? #fyp #sandwichesofhistory ♬ Souvenir De Paris - Martin Taylor Buckle up, cause this one’s a doozy. Half of a banana (Enderwick noted that in this time period, the commonly used banana species would be even MORE “banana-y,” making this even grosser) is added to liverwurst and ketchup, then mashed together. Salt to taste. Put on buttered bread. Pray for a quick death.Enderwick called the sandwich a “textural nightmare,” threw it away, and gave it a .5. May this kind of nourishment never find me. Pineapple Roquefort Sandwich (1965) @sandwichesofhistory Pineapple-Roquefort Sandwich (1965) on Sandwiches of History Kicking 2026 off right with what seemed like an oddball sandwich from 1965’s Cookin’ with Dr. Pepper. Now, I know folks use Dr. Pepper in all kinds of recipes but the combo of tangy Roquefort (which is a blue cheese) and Dr. Pepper didn’t quite sound right to me. Well, about that… At any rate, I found out about this cookbook via post on the Instagram account june_cleavers_vintage_closet_ which linked to a different recipe. #fyp #sandwichesofhistory #sandwiches ♬ original sound - SandwichesofHistory Gleaned from the Cookin’ with Dr. Pepper cookbook, the recipe says to mix cream cheese, pineapple, Roquefort cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Dr. Pepper (of course), along with paprika and salt together, then fold in pecans and onions. Chill the batch and spread onto bread. Enderwick gave this an 8 after adding a few pineapple chunks for extra texture, and noted that you could taste the Dr. Pepper in it. Onion and Mayo Sandwich (1927) @sandwichesofhistory Onion and Mayonnaise Sandwich (1927) on Sandwiches of History Today, we’ve got a doozy of a sandwich from 1927’s Salads and Sandwiches. I don’t want to give anything away but the Onion and Mayonnaise Sandwich has several surprises in store for us. None of them awful, just…well, odd. #fyp #sandwichesofhistory ♬ original sound - SandwichesofHistory The Salads and Sandwiches Cookbook of 1927 says to soak onions in water for an hour, then dip them in a vinaigrette with cayenne pepper. Place the onions along with some corned beef onto buttered rye bread. The end.At this point, you might be wondering, where's the mayo? There isn’t any! This one got a 6.5Peanut Butter Sandwich…with Olives and Sardines! (1915)
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These were technically two different (yet equally horrifying) options from the monster who created 100 Picnic Suggestions. Enderwick gave the peanut-butter-and-olives sandwich a 4.5, and the peanut-butter-and-sardines a 3.5, but when “plussed” up with other ingredients, they went up to 5.5 and 6.5, respectively. Too generous, if you ask me.Popcorn Sandwich (1909) @sandwichesofhistory The Popcorn Sandwich (it’s not even a sandwich!) #fyp #sandwichesofhistory #sandwichtok ♬ Happy (Instrumental) - By Line As Enderwick will tell you, this one barely qualifies as a sandwich, since it’s open-faced. But that’s the least of its offences, apparently. To make the sandwich, you’ll need freshly popped popcorn, sardines (oh dear, not again), salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper, ketchup, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, all mashed up together. Slather that on hot buttered toast, and top with Parmesan. Bon appetit.Enderwick could only describe it as “some kind of really terrible tuna melt,” and didn’t even bother to give it a ranking.Prune Sandwich (1940) @sandwichesofhistory Prune Sandwich (1940) on Sandwiches of History Growing up, I always thought of prunes and grandparents food. After all, they were the only ones I ever eat them. Yet, given how many prune based sandwiches I see in these old recipe books, I kinda get why. So many! You’d be forgiven for thinking today’s sandwich, the Prune Sandwich, was just prunes between buttered bread. Oh no, it’s…I want to say…more than that? #fyp #sandwichesofhistory ♬ original sound - SandwichesofHistory According to the White Lilly Cooking Guide, you’ll need to brown some almonds in shortening in a pan, then mix that in “prune pulp”…ground up prunes, essentially. This all sounds fine enough until you see that the recipe also calls for Indian relish, which is like a dill pickle relish with some added things like cabbage. Yeah.Honestly, it could have been worse. Enderwick gave it a 4. Sadly, adding cheese did nothing. Pineapple and Anchovy Cheese Sandwich (1935) @sandwichesofhistory Pineapple Anchovy Cheese Sandwich (1935) on Sandwiches of History So you might be wondering, why is this cookbook from 1935 called Five Feet of Flavor. Apparently, when you put the pineapple spears that came in the can end-to-end it measured out to five feet. Of course, that is just a distraction from the fact that it contains a recipe for the Pineapple Anchovy Cheese Sandwich. Sigh…go home, 1935. You’ve clearly had one too many lunch martinis. #fyp #sandwichesofhistory ♬ original sound - SandwichesofHistory This final recipe comes from Five Feet of Flavor: A New Style. Just when you thought you’d escaped the clutch of sardines, a new tinned fish enters the chat. The recipe calls for pounding anchovy paste and cream cheese into a paste. Spread onto buttered bread. Then top with pineapple spears. Dear god.Into the trash it went. As Enderwick explained, the flavors of the pineapple and cream cheese worked…until you get that fishy component. This one got a 2. Obviously there are plenty of winners that Enderwick has tried—the Bocadillo de Gambas y Pimientos from Spain, the Pakistan Club Sandwich, and the Katsu Sando from Japan were all heavy-hitters for 2025—but one major thing we can glean from his experiments is that some things are best left in the past. Follow Sandwiches of History for even more cool culinary content.
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