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

Or make a condensed milk sandwich!

My understanding, having lived/worked in the US a couple of times (only months at a time - so not long enough to really understand them) is that their sandwiches are not like their sandwiches at all. Butter isn't even the thing that is most different.

If I (UK) think of a sandwich butter is usually there, unless it's a bit fancier and has a different wet filling. You might get them in quarters at a buffet, or have one as a light lunch or tea.

American sandwiches are a different beast. Mcchicken 'sandwich' should give you an idea - although prob the worst example. They're mostly amazing, and often too big to eat in one go.
I once went into a sandwich shop and asked for what I wanted, not understanding that I was just supposed to say what I didn't want - everything was there by default.
E.g. there's a list of 6 different sandwich types, plus a list of 20+ salad/cheese/extra options. So I choose option B plus tomatoes, cheese and lettuce. But I get option B with 20 other fillings, minus tomatoes cheese and lettuce.
It's weird, and delicious.

@minipie I totally agree with everything you've said 👌

Oh those huge slabs of 'cheese' at the deli counters, they all look just like the slices the grandchildren want on their burgers, coloured fat! I once had a great chat with the man on the cheese counter of a World Foods and he too was disparaging about American 'cheese' and said it was to do with the government regulations about dairy use, they will allow imported cheese but won't allow their dairy industry to make similar cheese.

Never butter sandwiches here, only plain toast.
Butter and jam in a sandwich is the worst 🤢 anything else, I just think butter is a bit pointless as I tend to put chutneys/mayo in

Absolute animals!

The only sandwich I wouldn’t use butter on is bacon, and that’s because I dip the bread in the bacon fat. I may use cheese spread in a crisp sandwich instead of butter if I’m feeling really deviant but it’s a long time since I had a crisp sandwich unfortunately. I’m not a fan of mayonnaise laden fillings and the multiple condiment sandwich is an abomination. Chutney and mayo 🤮

But do you peel the cucumber too?

Does American cheese actually count as cheese though?

It's a mix of cheese and milk with few other bits - depend on whose making it - more like a solid cheese sauce.

It does melt easier though so is good for burgers.

Butter is the point of the sandwich.

I'd advise the partners of all the deviants commenting that they don't butter their baps to LTB. Ya weirdos.

Part of the point of cheese and crackers is as a butter-delivery mechanism

People who have a sweet sandwich filling without butter (jam/ lemon curd/speculoos etc.): how do you get the salty hit to stop it being cloyingly sweet? Do you add pure salt, or have some special salty bread or what?!

To be even more likely to upset some of you but to be honest, I don't really like sandwiches at all. I'm happy to have crackers (no butter) or just the filling.

I'm afraid I'm in the "I like a bit of bread with my butter" camp!

I remember thinking when I bought it, that it was such a tiny jar and would barely stretch to more than a couple of sandwiches. What a rip off, was my exact thinking.

For years after that whenever I was I'm the States or Canada I would being back 2 bottles of French's.

It's OK, I got H back. Next time we're visiting my parents we had a bbq. No bbq is complete without my dad's homemade hot sauce. It's powerful stuff. I said nothing as he likes 'hot' and splashed a bunch over pulled beef. He said he couldn't taste anything for the rest of the day. We're evil to each other.

I only put butter on toast if I'm having toast and butter. Never put it in any kind of sandwich first, use butter for cooking otherwise

I do tend to butter things. DH much less so.

I think fillings that contain mayonnaise don't really need butter and those are the sorts of sandwiches DH makes.

Hot toast with lashings of butter is lovely though. Ditto for crumpets.

My friend won't use butter if there is a spread like Mayo, but she is 100% wrong in doing so .

For me, it's a combined taste, a cheese sandwich with salad cream, has to have butter in it, the salad cream in no way replaces the butter.

Beans on toast, the toast has to be buttered.

Jacket potato with beans and cheese, the potato still has to be buttered.

I hate buying shop bought sandwiches where they usually only butter one sided of the bread :(

I love all the names for butter , undercoat , water proofing , stickeverythingtothebread stuff .

I like butter so much I have started making my own , it's dead easy .

Yep. Subway is too complicated for me 🤣🤣

Butter on toast - YES, butter on a sandwich NOOOO!! …..but I offend the French by putting butter on my croissant🤷🏼‍♀️…not the same without!

Depends on the filling.
Butter and cheddar, ham, cucumber.. Yes.
Butter with tuna mayo or coronation chicken.

@gingercat02 me too. I mean I mainly don't go to Subway because their bread is minging, but also too much choice.

I don't think that the amount of butterfat in American butter has anything to do with why we don't put butter on sandwiches. We buy Irish butter for its superior taste, and I still wouldn't put it on a sandwich. It has more to do with our sandwiches. You don't encounter soggy fillings to the extent you do in the UK, for one thing. Also where butter might be needed to prevent sogginess, as in a cucumber sandwich, we would be more likely to use cream cheese.

Also as for cheese, there is lots of good and even excellent cheese in the US, but the thing called "American cheese" is not it. But find an aged New York state cheddar, and you have the food of gods.

Some Americans do put butter on sandwiches, but they tend to be Yankees from New England. I married one, but as he now lives in the South with me, he uses mayonnaise and/or mustard as is right and proper.