It's What's Between

Until my friend Vanessa alerted me, I was oblivious to the fact that it's National Sandwich Month . I don't know what to do with this information, but clearly I need to step up my game if I'm missing such grand sandwich-occasions. CNN claims  First century B.C Rabbi Hillel the Elder invented the sandwich using matzoh on Passover. In my defense, August is also Audio Appreciation Month, American Adventures Month, Happiness Happens Month among other, less alliterative things, such as National Goat Cheese Month, National Psoriasis Awareness Month and What Will Be Your Legacy Month. Weirdly, August's wiki page notes that it's specifically National Panini Month with no mention of it being National Sandwich Month in general. Nor does it explain who's making these declarations. On whose authority did August become Win with Civility Month? If monthly designations can be assigned so freely, then I also deem August to be National Arbitrarily Assign a Theme to a M

Yesterday Serious Eats ran a list of 25 pork sandwiches they love in NYC. I'm sad to say I've never been to any of these places, so it looks like it's time to start working my way down the list. I thought I'd been to Tasty Dumpling, but I was confusing it with Excellent Pork Chop House . Can anyone think of some NYC pork sandwiches that are missing? I would add anything with pate or soppressata that Eastern District in Greenpoint serves up. Via Serious Eats : Fresh Pork Slow Roasted Pork at Rucola in Cobble Hill Pork and Cabbage Pancake at Tasty Dumpling The Pig and the Goat at the Bodega BBQ Pulled Pork Panino from Indian Road Cafe Macho Man or Woman from Court Street Grocers Poblano Cemita at Cascabel Taqueria Pan Con Lechon at Coppelia Cubano at the Morningside Heights Havana Central Pernil with a Twist at Sophie's Cuban Pierna Torta at De Mole Pork Bracciole from Zito's Sandwich Shoppe Gyro at BZ Grill Cured Pork Spicy Capicola fro

Via  Wikipedia "Jamaican jerk seasoning" .  At my local C Town deli counter, I was pondering what to get for my weekly cold cuts. I was the only person around, so the deli guy immediately asked what I wanted. In a panic, I blurted out, "Buffalo Chicken! No! Ummmmm ... [frantically panning the meat case] uh, Jerk Turkey!" He sliced it up and I was on my way. Now, I know next to nothing about what's in Jerk seasoning. I think it's Jamaican, and my understanding was that it had something like a mild curry flavor. In the case of Boar's Head's Jerk Turkey, it's apparently a chile-heavy dry rub. The heat blast was a shock when I bit into my lunchtime turkey sandwich. Boar's Head makes some tasty spiced meats. Their Salsalito Turkey and Blazin' Buffalo Chicken come to mind. Neither of those are as hot as the Jerk Turkey. So it made my brown bag lunch a lot more intense than I was expecting. I usually have a high spice tolerance, so make

Today we look at Black Forest ham and its application in a sandwich setting. Growing up, I ate a lot of Black Forest ham. My mom liked to buy that and baby Swiss cheese for sandwiches, which in retrospect, seems extravagant for an elementary school lunch. But I appreciate the exposure to these more nuanced deli items — they probably broadened my palate more than your standard Oscar Meyer and Kraft fare. To tell the truth, I can't explain what differentiates Black Forest ham from your average ham, except that I like it better. It seems a little spicier and more, I don't know, hammy. Its wiki page says Black Forest ham is seasoned with "garlic, coriander, pepper, juniper berries and other spices," cured, then smoked at exactly 77°F with "fir brush and sawdust" from the Black Forest. Although very little of that sounds appetizing, Black Forest ham's black, crusty rind tastes great. I guess the fine people of the Schwarzwald know what they're doing.

After years of waffling , I finally took the dive and purchased a bottle of Kewpie mayo. Kewpie mayo's premium price and disturbing packaging had previously prevented me from buying it, but Grub Street blogger Ian Knauer's Flavor Ammo post about it convinced me to give the baby-themed mayo a chance. For the unfamiliar, Kewpie is a popular Japanese brand of mayonnaise that's often found in gourmet specialty stores, such as Eastern District in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It's also currently available for 10 bucks on Amazon . The package features a standing baby that could easily serve as a homicidal doll in a horror story. Adding to the unease brought about by the package, the mayonnaise comes in a bag. I can't be alone in my belief that a bag is a completely inappropriate container for mayonnaise. Because of these setbacks, Kewpie mayo takes some getting used to. Now that I've come to terms with the unsettling packaging, I've probably topp

That's what I would do if I were in New York this weekend, by eating a corned beef and cabbage panini from 'Wichcraft . Serious Eats makes it look pretty delicious on their A Sandwich a Day column , saying it's basically an Irish Reuben. I like the sound of that. Failing a trip to 'Wichcraft, I'd still like to eat something Irishy tonight. Can anyone think of an appetizing sandwich that's either green or prominently features potatoes (or both)? Because I can't. Maybe I'll just get Chick-fil-A instead. In any case, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, here are two Irish things of note: Above: Corned beef and cabbage in non-sandwich form from a Dublin "tapas bar." Below: A hilarious episode of the How Did This Get Made podcast featuring Kumail Nanjiani.

You'd better believe Coco knows his sandies. Mexican cheese? Yes. Gravy? Yes. Fiber? Why not? Behold "The Conan."