Cheese sandwich

Cheese sandwich

Cheese sandwich with greens, cut on the horizontal
Main ingredients	Cheese, bread
Ingredients generally used	Butter, Margerine, Mayonnaise
Variations	Grilled cheese, Cheese dream, Cheese toastie

A cheese sandwich is a basic sandwich generally made with one or more varieties of cheese on any sort of bread, such as flat bread or wheat bread, that may include spreads such as butter or mayonnaise. A grilled cheese sandwich is made by grilling the sandwich with butter or toasting it.

Popular British sandwiches include the cheese and pickle sandwich, the cheese and tomato sandwich and the cheese and onion sandwich. Cooked meat can be added to cheese sandwiches, a common choice being a ham and cheese sandwich or the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.

Cheese sandwiches can be grilled so that the bread toasts and the cheese melts (a dish referred to as a grilled cheese sandwich, or simply grilled cheese). A grilled cheese is often heated by placing the buttered slices of bread, with the cheese between the slices, on a frying pan or griddle. Another form of cooked cheese sandwich is the cheese toastie or toastie, a dish particularly popular in the United Kingdom that is prepared by either baking or grilling a cheese sandwich in an oven, or toasting bag in an electric toaster, or using a pie iron in order to toast the bread and melt the cheese. Cheddar is the most common cheese used in a toastie. It is usually served as a snack, or as a (usually lunchtime) meal, in most cases with a side of salad.

Cooked bread and cheese is an ancient food according to food historians, popular across the world in many cultures. Evidence indicates that, in the U.S., the modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich originated in the 1920s when inexpensive sliced bread and American cheese became readily available. The cheese dream, an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich, became popular in the U.S. during the Great Depression.