Baked bean sandwich
 | |
| Type | Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Bread, baked beans |
 Cookbook: Baked bean sandwich  Media: Baked bean sandwich | |
The baked bean sandwich is a meal consisting of baked beans and butter between two slices of bread.
Origins
Recipes for a baked bean sandwich can be traced from as early as 1909 - one book entitled "Cooking For Two" by Janet Mckenzie Hill suggests such a recipe as a "substitute for meatless cooking", and is a much more elaborate sandwich compared to its most common manifestation today.[1]
Recently, H. J. Heinz Company quoted a simple baked bean sandwich recipe on promotional packs of tomato ketchup and soups, and has since become a popular food for students. It is unlikely that this particular recipe bore any inspiration from earlier appearances in "proper" publications, and is more likely to have been concocted by Heinz' marketing contractors.
Early recipes
Many early recipes describe essentially the same product that has become popular today, however in addition they incite elaborate additions of garnish and dressing. Janet McKenzie Hill suggests:
- Butter two slices of Boston Brown Bread; on one of these dispose a heart leaf of lettuce holding one teaspoon of salad dressing; above the dressing set a generous tablespoon of cold, baked beans, then another lettuce leaf and dressing; finish with a second slice of bread, a tablespoonful of beans, a floweret of cauliflower, and a teaspoonful of dressing over the cauliflower.
Particulars
Baked bean sandwiches have probably become popular because they are very cheap to produce, are reasonably filling, and are extremely quick to prepare. Baked beans are also being more widely regarded - and marketed - as being "healthy" (although this fact is disputed) increasing their popularity.