Unlike
the crisp layers of the now-iconic sandwich, the origins of the club
sandwich aren’t so easy to see. According to the most popular theory,
the club sandwich was invented around 1894 at the Saratoga Club House,
an exclusive gambling joint in Saratoga Springs, New York. It’s still up
for debate, however, whether the Club House’s founder or chef was the
first to create the towering stack of meat, lettuce, tomato, and bread.
Fun fact: The small racetrack town in upstate NY must have been a cradle
of invention in the 1800s, because the club sandwich’s BFF, the potato
chip, was also invented in Saratoga Springs, in 1853.
Luckily
for everyone, the star sammie left the gambling tables and was soon a
hit around the country. From fancy restaurants to humble lunch spots to ex-King Edward VIII’s dining room table, the club sandwich manages to be satisfying, homey, and a little bit glamorous all at the same time.
