Serious Sandwiches: The Waffle Sandwich

Required Eating

Posted by Zach Brooks, September 19, 2007 at 12:00 PM

Yesterday, the Hamburger Today post about whether or not a patty melt is a hamburger (because it is served on sliced bread instead of a bun) got me thinking about how important (or not) bread is in determining whether something is a sandwich—or a hamburger, or any other food classification.

If rye bread doesn't get the same respect as a bun, then where do we draw the line?

Take this photo for example, which I have been mesmerized by for the past week. Waffle to bread is a much farther leap than bread to bun, right? And yet, can you deny that what you are looking at is, without a doubt, undeniably, a sandwich?

Unfortunately, this waffle sandwich is not available for purchase as is. The photographer created it himself at a breakfast buffet in Kyoto, Japan. The filling consists of potato salad, daikon radish, corn, and a large slice of cured ham on top. He assured me it tasted amazing, and despite the hodge podge of ingredients and the little bit of common sense that my mental tastebuds exhibit, I almost believe him. I can't stop staring at the thing.

My vote? The waffle sandwich is indeed a sandwich, and a patty melt is a hamburger!

Photograph from swang168 on Flickr

13 Comments | Tags: Serious Sandwiches, waffles

13 Comments:

I can't think of what fast food chain it is (something we don't have here locally)...but they call something a "chicken" burger that is really a fried chicken cutlet sandwich...

For it to be a burger, does the filling have to be ground or at least cut small and held together with a binder (thinking of a tofu burger here I guess)?

I say yes.

LENNDEVOURS at 12:20PM on 09/19/07

If you are in Brooklyn (or mid town Manhattan, for that matter) and you go to Junior's, they have an item on their sandwich menu that consists of sliced brisket between two potato pancakes (the name escapes me right now). I figure if you can count an "open faced" sandwich as a sandwich, that counts and so does the waffle sandwich. With all due respect to John Montagu, of course.

jpolk at 1:50PM on 09/19/07

potato pancakes? waaaay too greasy to pick up with hands.

now talking waffles.. let's put a scoop of ice cream between two hot ones and go to town on that. excellent treat from the jersey shore..

goodbyeohio at 2:33PM on 09/19/07

I think, in order to call it a hamburger, the meat must be ground/cut into small pieces. That is because the term hamburger comes from this style of meat developed in Hamburg, Germany. For a long time, it was called the Hamburg Steak. The bread choice should be irrelevant, other than to allow people to know what they are ordering (I expect a hamburger to be served on a bun, and a patty melt to be served on rye with grilled onions).

I think a sandwich is anything where filling is easily eaten with ones' hands, due to the fact that it's between two pieces of bread. I don't think it matters if its a waffle sandwich or not, though I'd be disappointed if I ordered a sandwich at a restaurant, and it came in waffles, if I wasn't expecting it to do so. However, I often make a simple meal of peanut butter and jelly between waffles, when I am feeling too lazy to cook.

foodette at 2:40PM on 09/19/07

My favorite breadstuff to have a burger on is an everything bagel...

I think that if you consider a piece of meat/cheese between two slices of croissant a sandwich, then you can consider the same between two waffles a sandwich. Both are breakfast pastry-like, right?

Also, I am trying a pb&j on waffles ASAP.

happybites at 3:10PM on 09/19/07

Foodette- What about the "open faced sandwich"? You can't pick that up with your hands...

zach@midtownlunch at 5:44PM on 09/19/07

Oh yes, the waffle sandwich can be a sandwich.

As they are, here:

The ones he made for her were spun through delicately with brilliant happy sparks like shooting stars, circling through the night air around her. Thick heart-shaped bittersweet double-chocolate waffles topped with crunchy caramelized bananas. . . orange-almond-cumin waffles ladled with rich heady creamy curried quail. . . oh! She loved his lemon thyme waffles so luxurious, fresh lobster claws holding hands on top, dotted with emerald and ruby-like aromatics in sparkling pink vodka sauce. . . or the seven-grain waffle sandwich stuffed with Greek salad drizzled with biting tahini sauce. There! A dreamy rosewater–peach waffle went dancing right past her, twirling in the air with divine insouciance, two round smiling matched curves of strawberry sorbet and lemon gelato glistening on top, shimmering by in the night. So much waffle-y bliss! Mrs. Waffle slid further into dreamland with a sigh, dove deeply into dreamland, smiling in her sleep, and as she moved just a hint of a touch closer to Mr. W, she felt a spark. Just like water hitting the hot metal of waffle iron. She edged closer, ready.

Open-faced or not. Sandwiches. Waffles. Absolutely. :)

Karen Resta at 6:39PM on 09/19/07

last season of top chef, the episode when they were cooking for athletes. someone made a waffle sandwich, didn't they? it was like waffle, eggs, beans, and ham? i can't remember, but i remember it was one of the top recipes that episode.

anado at 7:00PM on 09/19/07

I just wanted to add that waffles make great open face sandwich bases, the gravy and mashed potatoes fill in the waffle crevices in a lovely manner.

And I wanted to point out this lovely pancake +pesto + spam sandwich I made one day with leftover pancakes.

albertel at 8:32PM on 09/19/07

Actualy near me in Rockville MD there is a guy crazy for waffles: www.mosaiccuisine.com and I think you could get something close...

seadkdc at 11:27PM on 09/19/07

I worked with a fellow who brought waffle sandwiches everyday for lunch. Never bread. He toasted up two Eggo buttermilk waffles, and mad a sandwich with them... PB&J, bologna, ham and cheese, tuna salad...didn't matter - just on waffles. He even used the typical condiments - mayo, mustard depending on the fill.

ffaat at 10:17AM on 09/20/07

Actually the best thing about waffle sandwiches is the fact that they offer one the opportunity to say "Leggo my Eggo" not only at breakfast-time but at lunch-time too.

I vote we call them waff-wiches. It sounds better than sand-waffs.

Karen Resta at 2:06PM on 09/20/07

I agree on the ground meat equating a burger consensus, as well as two slices of baked goods holding together ingredients equating a sandwhich.

I vote with you Karen, 'waff-which' is fun to say! :D

Leena at 9:32AM on 09/21/07

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