BLT

A BLT is a type of sandwich, named for the initials of its primary ingredients, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It can be made with varying recipes according to personal preference. Simple variants include using different types of lettuce or tomato, toasting or not, or adding mayonnaise. More pronounced variants can include using turkey bacon or tofu in place of bacon, or removing the lettuce entirely.

This article is about the sandwich. For other uses, see BLT (disambiguation).

BLT sandwich
A BLT sandwich on toast
Alternative namesBacon, lettuce, and tomato
Main ingredientsBacon, lettuce, tomato, bread
VariationsClub sandwich
Food energy
(per serving)
352[1] kcal
Nutritional value
(per serving)
Protein16.2[2] g
Fat34[2] g
Carbohydrate42.5[2] g

History

Although the ingredients of the BLT have existed for many years, there is little evidence of BLT sandwich recipes prior to 1900. In the 1903 Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book, a recipe for a club sandwich included bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and a slice of turkey sandwiched between two slices of bread.[3] While the 1928 book Seven Hundred Sandwiches by Florence A. Cowles does include a section on bacon sandwiches, the recipes often include pickles and none contain tomato.[4]

The BLT became popular after World War II because of the rapid expansion of supermarkets, which allowed ingredients to be available year-round. The initials, representing "bacon, lettuce, tomato", likely began in the U.S. restaurant industry as shorthand for the sandwich, but it is unclear when this transferred to the public consciousness.[5] For example, a 1951 edition of the Saturday Evening Post makes reference to the sandwich, although it does not use its initials, describing a scene in which: "On the tray, invariably, are a bowl of soup, a toasted sandwich of bacon, lettuce and tomato, and a chocolate milk shake."[6]

A 1954 issue of Modern Hospital contains a meal suggestion that includes: "Bean Soup, Toasted Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, Pickles, Jellied Banana Salad, Cream Dressing, and Pound Cake."[7] By 1958, Hellmann's Mayonnaise advertised their product as "traditional on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches", suggesting that the combination had been around for some time.[8] However, there are several references to a "B.L.T." in the early 1970s, including in one review of Bruce Jay Friedman's play entitled Steambath titled: "A B.L.T. for God – hold the mayo."[9] The abbreviation used in title references a line of dialogue in the play in which God yells, "Send up a bacon and lettuce and tomato sandwich, hold the mayo. You burn the toast, I'll smite you down with my terrible swift sword."[10]

Popularity

As the sixth-most popular sandwich in the United States it falls behind the ham sandwich,[11] the roast beef sandwich, turkey sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich, and the grilled cheese sandwich. A poll by OnePoll in 2008 showed that the BLT was the "nation's favourite" sandwich in the UK.[12] BLT sandwiches are popular especially in the summer,[13] following the tomato harvest.[14] In the United States, the BLT-season is associated with an increase in the price of pork-bellies, which are processed into bacon.[15]

Ingredients and preparation
A BLT sandwich preparation

While there are variations on the BLT, the essential ingredients are bacon, lettuce, and tomato, between two slices of bread (usually white), often toasted.[16] The quantity and quality of the ingredients are matters of personal preference. The bacon can be well cooked or tender, but as it "carries" the other flavours,[11] chefs recommend using higher quality meat; in particular, chef Edward Lee states "Your general supermarket bacon is not going to cut the mustard."[16]

Iceberg lettuce is a common choice because it does not add too much flavour while adding crunch.[16] Food writer Ed Levine has suggested that BLT does not require lettuce at all, as it is "superfluous",[17] a suggestion that Jon Bonné, lifestyle editor at MSNBC, described as "shocking". Michele Anna Jordan, author of The BLT Cookbook, believes the tomato is the key ingredient and recommends the use of the beefsteak tomato as it has more flesh and fewer seeds.[16] Similarly, chef and food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt believes that a BLT is not a bacon sandwich with additional ingredients, but rather, a tomato sandwich seasoned with bacon. For that reason, Lopez-Alt argues that the BLT is a seasonal sandwich best made with high-quality summer tomatoes.[18][19]

The sandwich is sometimes served with dressings, like mayonnaise.[16] The bread can be of any variety, white or wholemeal, toasted or not, depending on personal preference.[11]

Variations
BLT with avocado

The sandwich has a high sodium and fat content, and has been specifically targeted by UK café chains in an effort to reduce salt and fat.[20] Due to this, low-fat mayonnaise is a common substitute along with low salt bread and less fatty bacon. A more visible solution is to use turkey bacon in lieu of normal bacon.[1] One of the variations on the BLT is the club sandwich, a two-layered sandwich in which one layer is a BLT. The other layer can be almost any sort of sliced meat, normally chicken or turkey.[21]

In culture

United States

In 1963, pop art sculptor Claes Oldenburg created Giant BLT, a soft sculpture representing the sandwich, now in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art.[22][23] It measures 32 by 39 inches (81 cm × 99 cm) and uses vinyl, kapok and wood, painted in acrylic. Every time it is moved, it must be restacked, which means it varies between exhibits. The artist has said that he has not set it up personally since its creation in 1963.[24]

In 2003, a record for the world's largest BLT was created by Michele Anna Jordan, measuring 108 feet (33 m) in length.[16] It was prepared at a 2003 tomato festival in Sonoma County, California and had a total area of 14,976 square inches (96,620 cm2).[25] In 2008, Marie Ganister and Glenda Castelli created a 146 feet (45 m) BLT – a sandwich which was originally planned with Jordan.[25] The record was broken again by the Iron Barley restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri, with a BLT measuring 179 feet (55 m), and is currently held by Bentley Dining Services for their 2009 attempt, measuring 209 feet 1 inch (63.73 m).[26]

United Kingdom

In 2004, the New Statesman reported that the sandwich chosen by a politician as his "favourite" is loaded with political symbolism. For example, it suggested that a chicken tikka sandwich would be a "gentle nod to an imperial past and a firm statement of a multicultural present and future". The article went on to explain that the then Leader of the Opposition William Hague had accused the then Prime Minister Tony Blair of being a hypocrite with regards to food, telling one portion of society that his favourite meal was fish and chips and another that it was a fresh fettuccine dish. The conclusion of the article was that Blair chose the BLT as his favourite sandwich, which appeals to all classes.[27]

See also

References
  1. Bricklin, Mark (1994). Prevention Magazine's Nutrition Advisor: The Ultimate Guide to the Health-Boosting and Health-Harming Factors in Your Diet. Rodale. p. 454. ISBN 0-87596-225-4.
  2. "Sandwich, BLT (5 strips bacon, 2 tbsp mayo) w. 3 oz Bread". Calorie King. CalorieKing Wellness Solutions, Inc. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. Gordon Curtis, Isabel (1903). Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book. ISBN 1-58816-210-9.
  4. Cowles, Florence (1928). Seven Hundred Sandwiches. New York: Little, Brown & Company. pp. 31–35.
  5. Mariani, John F. (1999). The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink. New York: Lebhar Freidman. p. 190. ISBN 978-0867307849.
  6. Martin, Harold H. (27 January 1951). "Lightning Joe, the GI's General". The Saturday Evening Post. 223: 21.
  7. "Modern Hospital". Modern Hospital. 83: 122. July 1954.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. For example, see the version that ran in Life magazine on 20 October 1958. Hellmann's Mayo Ad. 20 October 1958. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  9. Prideaux, Tom (21 August 1970). "A B.L.T. for God – Hold the Mayo". Life. Time Inc. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  10. Friedman, Bruce Jay (1971). Steambath. New York: Knopf. ISBN 9780573615818.
  11. Pruess, Joanna; Lape, Bob; Cole, Liesa (2006). Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence. Globe Pequot. pp. 80–81. ISBN 1-59228-851-0.
  12. "BLT is named nation's favourite sandwich". Daily Record. Glasgow. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  13. Tuttle, Brad (5 July 2011). "Is It Time to Start Stockpiling Bacon". Time. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  14. McFerron, Whitney (4 August 2010). "Bacon Price Surge May Last Through August as Herd Cutbacks Tighten Supply". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  15. Mason, Rowenna; White, Garry (15 August 2010). "Meat prices set to jump after wheat crop failures". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  16. Bonne, Jon (12 September 2006). "Secrets to a perfect BLT sandwich". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  17. Levine, Ed. "Does a BLT need the L". Serious Eats. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  18. Lopez-Alt, J. Kenji. "The Food Lab's BLT Manifesto". Serious Eats. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  19. Lopez-Alt, J. Kenji. "A BLT is Not a Bacon Sandwich. It is a Tomato Sandwich". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  20. "Cafe chains promise to reduce salt and fat". Belfast Telegraph. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  21. Civitello, Linda (2007). Cuisine and culture: a history of food and people. John Wiley and Sons. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-471-74172-5.
  22. "Whitney Focus presents Claes Oldenburg's "Giant BLT"". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  23. "Claes Oldenburg / Giant BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich)". AMICA library. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  24. Kino, Carol (15 May 2009). "Going Softly Into a Parallel Universe". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  25. "There's a beef over that 146-foot BLT". PressDemocrat. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  26. Schultz, Brian (5 November 2009). "Bentley cooks up world record BLT". Eagle Eye. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  27. Vigor, Anthony (12 April 2004). "Exposed by his sandwich". New Statesman. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
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