Toast sandwich

{{Infobox prepared food | name = Toast sandwich | image = | caption = | alternate_name = | country = United Kingdom | region = | creator = | course = | type = Sandwich | served = | main_ingredient = [[Bread], toast, butter | variations = | calories = | other = }}

A toast sandwich is a very simple and economical sandwich made by putting a thin slice of toast between two thin slices of bread with a layer of butter, and adding salt and pepper to taste. Its origins can be traced to the Victorian years. A recipe for making it is included on the 1861 Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton.

The key role played by the textures felt by the mouth

Although this sandwich is very simple, the collection of textures presented by the butter, the slices of bread and the toast can make its consumption a surprisingly pleasant experience.

Mouthfeel is the great attractive of the toast sandwich. Given the diversity of textures and flavors of all kinds of bread, many variations can be easily devised and tested in order to enrich the experience of the consumer. For example, a toast sandwich can be made with:

• Cold or hot toast
• Melted or room-temperature butter
• Garlic or herb toast (or bread)
• Integral bread (with or without raisins) with white bread toast, or vice versa

Butter can also be substituted with a little extra-virgin olive oil when using savory variants of bread and toast.

Alternative uses

Toast sandwiches can be used instead of bread when accompanying meals. The richness of their texture makes them an excellent compliment for the mouthfeel given by pasta, salad, soup and aspic dishes.

Public recognition of its low cost

The sandwich was named by the scientists of the Royal Society of Chemistry "Britain's cheapest lunchtime meal" in November 2011, with the cost cited as being as low as 7.5 UK pence per sandwich. The reality of this claim, however, has been questioned.