What the heck is a Russian sandwich? It is basically a single slice open face sandwich on dark bread. It is not an American sandwich like portrayed on cutesy little cooking website,with two pieces of white bread cut in cubes and Russian dressing. Come on, I lived in Eastern Europe a good part of my life and have never seen a sandwich like that.
To make a Russian sandwich start with dark rye or pumpernickel bread. In a Russian bakery, it is mostly rustic bread just like you would image. The white bread tastes like farmers sour dough bread like you might imagine. I have no found anything in the USA that comes close in taste. But you get the picture.
- Ham
- Swiss cheese
- Tomato
- A slice of Onion
- Butter the bread
- Salt and pepper.
This is the type of Sandwich you eat in Russia. It is simple and pretty good. All you have to do is eat.
- Most Russians drink with there sandwiches not soda but either tea or a soup broth.
We drink soups with our sandwiches in Eastern Europe
16 ways to make your Russian sandwich more Russian
Now if you want to add a twist I would add a few things so it can be more exotic for the American taste buds here are variations we really use in Russia
- Horseradish is the main ingredients in a Russian sandwich with a twist. I use loads of it. It is good for breathing, pain relief and is like cabbage is anti-cancer (but also anti-thyroidal I think). I love the creamy house radish rather than then chopped, which is more traditional. I put it on my back by the way when I need some anti-imflamitory. So go crazy with the Horseradish.
- I prefer beet horseradish
- An alternative meat is headcheese – It is not cheese, rather a gelatin mix of meat endings. I know it sounds gross, but it is good and popular in Eastern Europe.
- Munster cheese can also be used, it is called something else in Russia but basically the same.
- Sprouts can used.
- Russian people are into anything pickled from cucumbers to tomatoes
- Bacon, although the Russian bacon is not like in the USA, but more like a fatty piece of ham end.
- Pate which is very popular, even mushrooms and with mustard.
- Green Onions, this is very popular in Russia.
- Spring sandwich, fresh cucumber is also popular, radish,green onion, salad, everyone one loves this in the lat spring in the Russian countryside.
- Countryside sandwich is called a sausage sandwich, but it had not meat it was an Onion sandwich because in communist they did not have the money for meat they went to the field and found a fat onion and made a sandwich out of it and called it a sausage.
- Herbs that are popular are fennel and poppy in the bread.
- Herbs in the sandwich, dill is the most popular. I remember growing up everything was dill and sour cream, green onion and sometime parsley. We did not have these exotic Italian and world spices everything was dill. There was also lovage, is a herb that is an aphrodisiac but I do not even know if we have it in the USA?
- Sunflower seeds are added to sandwiches.
- Poppyseeds are so popular but I know one fueding village family called the police, (wife on husband) because they were growing poppy which is illegal in large amounts for obvious reasons.
- Paprika is use a lot.
If you have any questions please ask as I am kind of an expert on Russian Sandwiches.
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