Yes or No, is the Potato Chip Sandwich a yummy food invention or just plain strange?
Let’s face it, for the most part, people have a like/love relationship with food (except for those few foods some profess to absolutely hate – like, for me, it’s cauliflower. Hmm, not that keen on beets either). People like weird stuff sometimes too. Thus isn’t it just like regular folk to invent an offbeat concept like potato chips as sandwich filling?!
Early Origins : Eats From Yesteryear
Believe it or not, this quirky concept of using potato chips as part of a sandwich has been around quite a while – and not just chips between bread, but chips used “as the bread” part of the sandwich, with various fillings in-between! I found mention of this sandwich way back in an American newspaper column called “Farm Woman’s Exchange” published Christmas Eve in the year 1932 that says:
“Potato Chip Sandwich, A friend of ours says this is different, dainty and dandy. It may be served in a luncheon with pie or with a salad. Use one-fourth pound grated cheese. If put through a grinder it goes a long way. Mix cheese with cream, add chopped pimento. Spread over one potato chip one-eighth inch thick and cover with another potato chip.“
— Wow, sort of an early oddball version of a grilled cheese sammie!
Tastes and Tidbits : A Little Trivia
Potato Chip Sandwiches (sometimes unkindly referred to as “trailer park cuisine”) can be enhanced by adding toppings to your chips such as peanut butter or pickles (get a little creative, if you like) and a spread of butter or Mayo on your bread. Okay, this all makes the sandwich sound even worse to me, but some seem to enjoy the strange combination of flavors – sort of the ultimate junk food sandwich and guilty pleasure. By the way, it’s not just America where people have put together this sandwich – in the U.K. and Ireland this sandwich is known as a “Crisp Sandwich” or “Crisp Butty” (check this site out: Crisp Butty, it really is a thing). It’s also sometimes known as an Irish “Tayto Sandwich”, which uses Tayto brand crisps (“Cheese and Onion” flavor is considered the best for this – nothing else will do!).
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Well, perhaps I’ll give this sandwich a try (see photo on top of my homemade version). I think those cheesy onion Tayto Crisps would help, along with a spread of butter.
#weirdfood
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