Wait. What? Americans don't put butter in their sandwiches?

[GoodOldEmmaNess]

How can this make sense? That's what butter is - the thing that goes in sandwiches. Can I take the blue pill and forget I ever read this?
https://www.theguardian.com/food/commentisfree/2023/sep/20/why-dont-americans-put-butter-on-their-sandwiches

He may have been confusing scones and rock buns, the go-to all-occasion item my mum used to bake, which nobody ate. He's right about the currants and gooseberries.

Proper dried minced peel is not easy to find in the US. Dried cranberries are perfect as a substitute. Or chopped dried apricots. I've had my fair share of chocolate chip scones in the US, and also fresh blueberry and cherry scones, both lovely.

Americans do spread butter on 'biscuits', which are a savory scone (ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt, butter, milk). They also serve these with delicious (American breakfast sausage) sausage gravy.

Now the weirdest British/American food thing to me is that I keep hearing British people say that banoffee pie comes from the US, but actually we don't have banoffee pie in the US

Is this just because it's so OTT sugary?

I don't understand why it's never migrated to the US, it would be so popular

These? They're just steak fries to the Americans.

I have only seen UK style sandwich bread used for children's sandwiches, or for grilled cheese sandwiches. At least on the East Coast, sandwiches are usually on sub rolls or baguette.

Yes those are steak fries

I'm thinking more like this;
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-frozen-straight-cut-oven-chips/786795-645003-645004?gclid=CjwKCAjwsKqoBhBPEiwALrrqiJubEoLlrF200F98e1XOrSbkMxdLJ5F_gBxzWDH_CJGjqdj3KCqXUhoCntAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Those are like default fries

@dreamingbohemian jellied eels 🤢, it’s a southern thing, most people up north would gip at the thought!

iron bru, it has its own distinct taste, can’t explain it really, but I like it.

Fish and chips over here from a chippy are amazing and no country I have been to (claiming to have British fish and chips), are nowhere near in anyway our fish and chips.

Roast lunch here the way we do it is great too, you could do it there too if you wanted to try it, don’t forget Yorkshire pudding (tip, put more eggs in than any recipe).

I will remember the taco stand if I ever go over there 😊.

ummm like diner menus have a list of sandwiches and burgers are on them

like in every US state I’ve ever been to?!

Especially on Mumsnet😉Though I suspect a lot of it is intentional.

This.

As a resident of a suburb of a major American city, I have to take issue with the general direction of your assertions here. I can buy a great many kinds of raw American cheese. It's not unheard of and it is produced by an increasing number of small scale producers - it's a growing market in fact.

And it has to be real butter, none of this spreadable butter nonsense or goodness forbid, one of those awful spreads

Some of it seems to comes from actual Americans as well.

There was a whole series of videos about UK vs USA crisps - it was rabbit hole and time filler - time after time it was all in american there just cheese and salted crisps here. Are they unaware of the ranges they have in their shops or just lying to world - I thought it odd given how much choice they usually have with products.

@mathanxiety - I though USA 'biscuits were like our cobblers - found on top of stews or can be sweeter version on fruit desserts - so buttering them sounds odd - but if they more like cheese scones that makes sense.

I haven't been to USA in over 20 years now - but I thought the food was pretty good when I was there with few interesting differences just didn't come this sandwich difference.

I’m American and have never understood the concept of putting butter on all sandwiches and bread willy nilly. I put butter on toast, that’s it. It may be that we think of mayo on sandwiches the way you all do of butter but even then it’s not universal here. There is a preoccupation with ketchup 😂 by some. Mayo, mustard, ketchup, with various other add ons like relish, banana pepper rings, etc are what is standard. But butter, no. I love butter but what business does it have on a turkey or cheese sandwich??

I do understand that buttering bread gives a barrier against things like tomato soaking the bread. It does make sense, we just never do it. We put lettuce on top as the barrier.

There was a whole series of videos about UK vs USA crisps - it was rabbit hole and time filler - time after time it was all in american there just cheese and salted crisps here. Are they unaware of the ranges they have in their shops or just lying to world - I thought it odd given how much choice they usually have with products.

It could be either. You have to be skeptical with YouTube. The producers get paid by how many page views they generate, which is why you find so much misinformation there, like phony cancer cures. Everything is optimized to move up in the search rankings. But never underestimate the power of ignorance, either.

True. Here in the USA we have every type of chip (crisp) imaginable. We have whole giant aisles devoted just to chips in every formulation. Same for any other product. That’s why I like to go to my small grocery store near me where it’s not so overwhelming with choices. The joke about the different kinds of orange juice is true. Pulp, no pulp, a little pulp, it is ridiculous 😂

I have to know @MysteryBelle what on god’s green earth is a banana pepper ring. And yes I know I could Google but I’m scared to 😂

This why I don't like Subway sandwiches - no butter.

They'll add butter if you ask. I'm sure they've had stranger requests.

I can't imagine anything worse than butter in a sandwich and I'm British.

😂 they are mild peppers cut into rings. They are good! I put them on pizza, sandwiches, salads.

Ok but then usually the menu will say burgers and sandwiches. Maybe you went to lazy diners.

I don't anyone who would consider a burger a sandwich. Burgers are burgers. Well on the east coast anyway.

@dreamingbohemian in the UK both McDonald's and Burger King call the burgers in buns "sandwiches" on their menus.
No one ever calls them that out loud but that's their menu name.
As they are American companies calling a hamburger a "sandwich" must have come from America.

Oh so like jalepenos I’m a jar we get here? But milder. Ok. Not as scary as I imagined! Thank you @MysteryBelle ! We live and learn Every day don’t we?

Nope never use butter in a sandwich, toast yes but never sandwiches.