Club sandwiches are served up in delis, diners, and hotel kitchens around the world. The recipe typically features sliced chicken or turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, all of which are double-layered between three pieces of toasted white bread. Though it’s hard to pinpoint the sandwich’s creator, its etymological origins can be traced to a late-19th-century private social club in New York City.
The earliest known written mention of a “club sandwich” is printed in the November 18, 1889, edition of The Evening World. A brief snippet asks, “Have you tried a Union Club sandwich yet?” referring to a dish served at a private NYC social club founded in 1836. This early version featured “[t]wo toasted slices of Graham Bread, with a layer of turkey or chicken and ham between them, served warm.” Compared to the modern version, there’s a notable lack of produce, and the sandwich includes ham instead of bacon. But it served as a template for similar sandwiches that caught on at other social clubs, earning it the name we still use today.
Word of this delectable “Union Club sandwich” spread across the country, appearing in the Pittsburgh Dispatch just one day after The Evening World mention: “It differs essentially from any other sandwich made in the town, and is a particular hobby of the club chef and of club men who like a good thing after the theater or just before their final nightcap.” Chefs at other social clubs developed variations of their own, dropping the word “Union” in the process. The Saratoga Club of upstate New York claims to have invented the sandwich in 1894 — five years after the Union Club. While this claim is false, given the timeline, it goes to show the sandwich’s popularity at these exclusive social institutions.
Elements including bacon, lettuce, and mayonnaise were added no later than 1899, appearing in a recipe in the cookbook Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties. Tomatoes were also added by the early 20th century, and by that point the sandwich had changed quite a bit since it was introduced. Even still, it maintained the “club” moniker, paying homage to the social institutions where it first became so popular.
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