2 min read

Recettes

Cucumber sandwich

This typically British invention dates back from Victorian times (from 1837 to 1901, time of the industrial révolution and the suprematie of the British Empire). Cucumber has been cultivated in India for 3000 years, but only the English have had the peculiar idea of sticking it between deux slices of bread, moreover white bread! 


This sandwich is traditionally served at 5 o'clock in the English aristocraty, because it's so light that you can eat it before dinner. It's so chic! 

Also according to some scientists the cucumber sandwich is perfect to regulate our body temperature and stay hydrated in hot weather!


Cucumber have been cultivated in England since the Edwardian era, in heated greenhouses of course, given the local climate, and the cucumber sandwich tradition spread in the whole Empire. This small sandwich became a symbol of wealth, and was even served to the passengers of the Indian Airline company for a long time. 


So what do you need to make a good cucumber sandwich?


… well… cucumbers! Yes, but beware, do not forget to soak it with some salt a few minutes or your beard could become as wet as a sponge! 

Peel the cucumbers, that a must! If you have to prepare them in advance, remove the seeds, it will make the sandwich less humid. 

Cut in very thin slices, preferably with a mandoline if you have one. Put them in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt and leave it for half an hour (not more, or your cucumber could be too salty). 

Don't forget to dry them in a kitchen towels or in kitchen paper (less environmentally friendly). Press half a lemon on top and keep it to the side. 

You will need bread without crust, and please no whole bread! - the sandwich should melt in your mouth. Try and avoid industrial bread, instead ask your baker, it's a 1000 times better - and I will never underline it enough, buy local!

Then put butter on both slices - on one side only, right? Otherwise you'll have buttered fingers ;-) .... Use unsalted butter, there's enough salt already. Butter is essential as it serves as a "glue" : it will keep the bread dry and will prevent the cucumber to escape. 

A bit of pepper before you close the sandwich and that's it! 

But before you serve, you have to cut it. There are two methods: in triangles or in fingers?  Personally I prefer in triangle, I find it prettier and it holds better when you eat it. 

Press on the bread when you cut it to get a clear cut, which is key in a cucumber sandwich! 

There we go, with 3 ingredients and a bit of salt and better, you have it! 

Now enjoy!