What do you call a sandwich with cheese (and ham) that you put in an iron to make the bread go crispy and the cheese go melty? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It depends on where in the world you are. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Familiar names are: toastie <\/em>(UK), grilled cheese sandwich <\/em>(US), jaffle <\/em>(Australia), panini <\/em>(Italy), <\/em>and croque monsieur <\/em>(France). <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The toasted sandwich is not limited to these countries, however. You will find this popular snack, lunch, or dinner in every corner of our planet. Here is an overview of the toastie <\/em>and its relatives from all over the world. For fun\u2019s sake we\u2019ll include some of its distant cousins, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The classy classic toasted sandwich with cheese is called a toastie in the UK. Toasties in Great Britain can have a variety of cheese on them, but often most common are cheddar-like cheeses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The type of bread can vary from a traditional slice of white bread or a savory chunk of sourdough bread, depending on your style and class.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other side of the ocean you\u2019ll find that the grilled cheese sandwich is growing in popularity. Originally a cheap, and soggy alternative to an ordinary sandwich, the grilled cheese sandwich now comes in many shapes and forms. Actually, they\u2019re all square, but you\u2019ll find different ingredients depending on the state or city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Strictly, a cheese sandwich only has cheese and some cooking grease as their ingredients (and the bread of course), which are grilled, in either a pan, panini grill, or toaster. Adding more ingredients to the Grilled Cheese Sandwich will officially turn this beauty into a melt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Crossing another ocean you will find our cheese-loving friends down under making jaffles<\/em>. The jaffle comes from a sandwich press called the Jaffle<\/em>, <\/em>designed to make jaffles. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Surprise, surprise! <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most logical chain of thought is that the jaffle comes from the word waffle<\/em>, and the idea that if you can put dough into an iron to make a waffle, you can do the same with bread and cheese, to make a\u2026 ehh\u2026 Jaffle<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaffles have this beautifully unique shape that is so characteristic for a toasted sandwich\u2026 YOu know, sides sealed off and airy with gooey cheese on the inside. It is for this shape-resemblance that we will claim that jaffles and toasties are close relatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nevertheless, our Aussie friends are not limited to cheese when it comes to their sandwiches, and you can find countless recipes that include both sweet and savory jaffle variations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the classic Australian recipes is the vegemite jaffle<\/em>, with cheese and\u2026 Yes, vegemite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Panini in Italy literally means small bread. Commonly, you\u2019ll find these bread rolls with cheese and a type of meat (like mortadela, ham, or salami) grilled or toasted. The big difference with toasties or toasted sandwiches is the type of bread that is used for a panini, which isn\u2019t a sliced, soggy sandwich slice, but real italian bread like ciabatta (uncut). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Panini\u2019s have made a world-wide breakthrough and for a good reason. A classic recipe you\u2019ll often find on any menu in the world is the panini caprese <\/em>with mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bonjour, mesdames et messieurs, I would like to introduce you to what is possibly the fanciest name for an ordinary toasted sandwich: le croque monsieur<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, we can all guess where the name comes from as croque <\/em>sounds pretty crunchy to me, and indeed, we\u2019ll have to thank the French for their input in the toastie world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Croque Monsieur <\/em>is in its turn different from the other toasties because it requires some more sophisticated preparations than the sliced family members. The french actually make a creamy cheese sauce (similar to bechamel) that goes on top and\/or inside the sandwich. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The sandwich can only be prepared in an oven, as the top layer is covered in more cheese. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Netherlands, a sandwich that has (typically) ham and cheese on it and is toasted in a toastie-iron is called a tosti<\/em>. It\u2019s a simple, quick, and easy sandwich that people in the Netherlands will eat for lunch and sometimes for dinner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is typically served with ketchup or curry gew\u00fcrz. <\/em>Supermarkets have \u201ctostibrood\u201d, \u201ctostikaas\u201d, and \u201ctostiham\u201d (toastie bread, cheese, and ham) readily available, so that the perfect toastie perfectly fits the toastie maker.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another overarching name for the toasted sandwich is a Ham and Cheese\/Grilled Ham and Cheese\/Ham and Cheese Sandwich. It is simply made by putting ham and cheese between two slices of bread. There you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What follows are the very close relatives to toasties: different types of bread with different styles of cheese. All melted, of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Very similar to a grilled cheese sandwich, cheese on toast excels in its simplicity: it is a slice of bread covered in cheese. It is then placed in a grill, so that the cheese melts. Close enough to be a toastie based on its ingredients, the method is slightly different as it doesn\u2019t have the crucial toplayer to make it a sandwich. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The debate continues whether to toast the bread first, or not. What do you think? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the name says that they\u2019re family! The Croque madame is obviously the female counterpart of the Croque Monsieur. You\u2019d echt a silly light version of it, now right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think twice, the Croque Madame <\/em>is really the queen of all toasties: it follows the same recipe as Mr. Croque, but is topped with an egg. So delicious!<\/p>\n\n\n\n True story: The egg reminded people of a woman\u2019s hat, which is where this toasted sandwich got its name from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the vegetarians out there, the French, sophisticated as they are, have also added a meatless version of their toasted sandwich: The croque forestier<\/em>. Instead of ham, it has sauteed mushrooms (with the classic emmentaler cheese and bechamel sauce). <\/p>\n\n\n\n THANK YOU, ITALY! For this delicious variation of a toasted sandwich recipe. Forget gouda, cheddar, and emmentaler\u2026 Say hello to mozzarella! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like french toast, the carrozza <\/em>is made with slices of bread (either from a regular loaf, or a fancy Italian bread), dipped in egg wash, and sometimes covered in breadcrumbs or flour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, the mozzarella goes in and the bread is fried. Like a real toasted sandwich, but italian style. Yes, you will have to use olive oil.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t sound very exotic, but the isrealian version of a toasted sandwich is definitely worth a spot in this list. Different from our \u201ccommon\u201d bagels (which inevitably have a hole in them), the bagels in Israel do not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Which, obviously, makes them perfect for a grilled cheese sandwich. (Oooh imagine all the wasted cheese if you\u2019d try to make a toastie out of a regular bagel\u2026) <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, here\u2019s your answer: take cheese (yellow, white, feta or real Israelian sheep\u2019s cheese), green olives, corn, tomatoes, and onions, and grill it on a sandwich toaster or panini press.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chile\u2026 The land where they also eat a classic toasted sandwich. It\u2019s nothing but the classic recipe in a very interesting name: the Barros Jarpa, named after a president who always asked for a sandwich with melted cheese and ham on a either sliced white bread, Chilean bread rolls, or buns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of ham, sometimes sliced steak is used (churrasco<\/em>), in which case the sandwich is called a barros luco<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n OK, a little bit more labor intensive, but HOMBRE, this is a good lookin\u2019 toasted sandwich. With both boiled ham and roasted pork, this sandwich will cover your meat cravings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, there\u2019s cheese and butter to make sure this toastie lives up the creamy expectations, too.\u00a0 And finally, there are pickles and mustard to boost the sandwich to a higher level.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nToasties: United Kingdom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Grilled Cheese Sandwich: United States\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Jaffle: Australia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Panini: Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Croque Monsieur: France<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tosti\u2019s: the Netherlands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ham and Cheese (Sandwich): World-Wide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Meet the extended toastie family.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cheese on Toast: United Kingdom \/ New Zealand \/ Australia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Croque Madame: France<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Croque Forestier: France<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carrozza: Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Bagel Toast: Israel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Barros Jarpa: Chile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cuban Sandwich\/Sandwich Cubano: United States & Cuba<\/h2>\n\n\n\n