From its humble origins in 1762 England, the sandwich concept has evolved into a showcase for some of the tastiest ingredients around the world. Today sandwich fillings come in all forms and flavours, featuring everything from comforting everyday foods to gourmet produce. Here we reveal the world’s best sandwich fillings – classic combos, out-there options and childhood favourites included.
Click or scroll through our gallery as we count down to reveal the greatest sandwich filling of all time.
We’ve based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each sandwich filling in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
Pickled herring is a popular filling with many Scandinavian and German communities, particularly in places with a fishing culture. Herring used to be caught in large quantities, so pickling became the ideal way to keep fish from going to waste. Perhaps the most well-known sandwich use is in an open-faced Danish smørrebrød, which sees rye bread spread with butter and topped with pickled herring, egg and salad vegetables. But pickled herring is also a sought-after sandwich filling in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and Canada too.
The Middle East has become synonymous with succulent lamb dishes. Lamb shawarma features fresh shaves of juicy grilled meat wrapped in Arabic flatbreads with veggies, pickles and tahini. It’s akin to the Greek gyros, with its succulent lamb, pita bread and creamy tzatziki. Lamb also features in Iceland’s lamb 'boat' sandwich, often served with crispy onions, pickles and mayonnaise.
Prosciutto is a very thinly sliced, uncooked, dry-cured ham. Parma Ham, or prosciutto di Parma, is simply prosciutto that comes from the Parma region of Italy. But its quality and taste are anything but simple. Originating from Roman times, Parma Ham is geographically protected, with strict controls on the breed of pigs and salt used, as well as how long it’s cured for. In Italy, it’s often served in simple but sensational fashion: layered over freshly baked focaccia or ciabatta, with Parmigiano Reggiano or mozzarella sometimes making an appearance too.
Jewish immigrants brought the concept of smoked salmon to the world in the 19th century, using brining and smoking techniques to preserve the fish in a time before refrigeration. Not long after, Jewish New Yorkers started putting smoked salmon atop bagels. At the same time, smoked salmon sandwiches were becoming popular in the UK. Today it’s still a widely enjoyed sandwich filling, pairing well with cream cheese, dill, lemon, capers and cucumber.
This potentially lesser-known British flavour combination is particularly common in northeast England. It offers a tasty variation on the humble cheese sandwich, thanks to a filling made from grated cheese and carrot, finely diced onion and salad cream or mayonnaise. Packed with crunch and colour, with a tangy, creamy taste, it’s typically served in a stottie cake – a round, flat loaf with a chewy texture.
Mortadella is a large Italian sausage typically made of finely ground pork and flavoured with black pepper. Variations in places like Spain and Portugal can also contain peppercorns, olives, pistachios, truffles or myrtle berries. Regardless of its flavourings, it’s usually thinly sliced into a deli-style meat and served in a crusty roll, baguette or even focaccia. Mortadella is a particularly popular sandwich filling in São Paolo, where it sits alongside Provolone cheese, mayonnaise and mustard.
Given Britain’s obsession with curry, it’s no surprise this sandwich filling is so popular. In its most simple form, coronation chicken features chunks of chicken breast and curry powder in a creamy sauce; some recipes also incorporate dried apricots and sultanas, chopped nuts and even mango chutney. The dish was created by chef Rosemary Hume for the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 – hence the name ‘coronation’. Sandwich versions of the dish have featured on café menus, supermarket shelves and buffet tables in Britain ever since.
Vegemite is to Australians what peanut butter and jelly is to Americans. Invented by Australian chemist Cyril Callister in 1923, as an alternative to the British yeast extract Marmite, Vegemite is so firmly rooted in Australian culture that the sandwiches feature in the lyrics of Down Under by Men at Work and are a children’s birthday party staple. They’re usually made with just layers of butter and Vegemite on soft sliced bread, but jazzed up versions can also include avocado and cheese.
Rich and decadent, pâté can seriously elevate a sandwich – and you’ll find the spread made from various meats, vegetables and spices and served with an array of accompaniments. Vietnamese bánh mì turns the classic combo of pâté and French bread into a sandwich, adding in pickled veggies, herbs and chillies. Pâté is also a typical topping for smørrebrød, the open-faced sandwich synonymous with Denmark.
Like many similar sandwich combinations, chicken salad matches chicken with mayonnaise and salad ingredients. One of the first American forms of the filling is said to have originated at a meat market in Rhode Island in 1863, when the owner mixed leftover chicken with grapes, mayo and tarragon. Today the popular filling more commonly includes finely chopped celery, apple and red onion, as well as mustard.
The humble cucumber, with its crunchy texture and delicate taste, is a classic sandwich ingredient. Served in dainty finger sandwich portions it forms an integral part of a British afternoon tea but is also popular in the US. Simple and fresh, it’s arguably best served between slices of soft, crust-free white bread with nothing but a lick of butter. That said, popular pairings also include cream cheese with dill and even Marmite.
Lobster’s light yet meaty texture and slightly sweet taste make it a welcome – and wonderfully luxurious – sandwich filling. Particularly popular in the summer, it’s often served at seafood shacks, restaurants and food trucks across the New England region of the US and the Canadian Maritimes. Historically it was eaten by fishermen to prevent lobster from going to waste; today it's presented in more gourmet form, whether served chilled with mayonnaise in the Maine version or hot with melted butter, Connecticut-style.
Creamy and mild, Brie is a quintessentially French cheese that has always paired well with sweet flavours – think grape, apple, fig and, of course, cranberry. The much-loved combination of cheese and fruit is arguably at its best when in sandwich form, with the cranberry sauce or chutney providing extra moisture and crunch. It’s often served grilled and works admirably well with crispy bacon, leftover turkey or slices of ham.
With its fluffy interior, crispy exterior and fragrant aroma, it’s no surprise falafel has gained popularity around the world. Its origins are widely contested, but it’s believed to have originated in Egypt. Falafel is now enjoyed across the Middle East and far beyond. While sometimes served on its own, countless restaurants and cafés present these fluffy chickpea patties wrapped in soft bread, along with crisp, fresh vegetables and creamy garlic-tahini sauce.
Pulled pork is made by slowly barbecuing pork shoulder until it becomes soft enough to tear into shreds. The resulting juicy, soft meat with its delicate, smoky flavour makes it the perfect filling for a soft white roll. Unsurprisingly, pulled pork sandwiches (typically served with pickles or coleslaw) are hugely popular in America, but the meat is also the star ingredient in rou jia mo, a popular street food in China, also known as a Chinese hamburger.
It’s believed egg sandwich recipes first appeared in the early 19th century – though whether that was in the UK or North America is up for debate. Today egg mayonnaise is popular around the world, with numerous variations. In Britain it tends to be kept simple, with crushed hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise and seasoning. The filling gets a salad-like makeover in the US, with the addition of lettuce, cucumber and spring onions, as well as mustard and even dill pickle juice.
Horseradish has long been a trusty sidekick for roast beef, especially in a British roast dinner. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that the popular combination has carried over into a sandwich filling. The pairing is enjoyed around the world, with a few minor variations. The Danish smørrebrød is often topped with roast beef, horseradish and crunchy pickles, while the American beef on weck combines the two in a kummelweck roll dipped in beef jus.
In an early bid to minimise food waste, thrifty 19th-century Americans would mix leftover fish with mayonnaise and serve it on lettuce for lunch. When tinned tuna became popular in the 1950s, companies started serving the fish-and-mayo mixture between bread, so workers could eat on the go. The enduring combo is still enjoyed across the US, often with additional ingredients like pickles or capers. The toasted tuna melt is a popular variation while, in the UK, sweetcorn is often added to the mix.
Cooked right, beef brisket is a tender meat with plenty of juice. Oven-baked brisket was common in Ashkenazi Jewish households, as it was a cheap cut. When refugees travelled to America, brisket’s popularity spread (and stuck). It’s a classic sandwich filling across the Southern US, where it’s best enjoyed on a toasted bun with pickles, relish and slaw. In Canada, spiced, salted brisket shines in the Montreal smoked meat sandwich, piled high with lashings of mustard.
Cheese and pickle is a traditional British sandwich combo that matches sharp, smooth cheese with the punch and crunch of tangy pickle. But rather than using pickled cucumber or gherkins, it features a spreadable, slightly sweet, pickled vegetable chutney. This is typically paired with sliced or grated medium or sharp Cheddar, but some versions use Red Leicester. Either way, simplicity is the secret to this filling’s enduring popularity.
Fries are something of a global sandwich star, with the common factor seeming to be comfort. Brits enjoy a simple chip butty, with fat, golden, vinegar-soused chips served between buttered white bread or in a white bread roll (ketchup optional). In Belgium, the traditional mitraillette, which means ‘submachine gun’, is fully loaded with fries, fried meat and sauce (options include curry, ketchup, mayonnaise, bearnaise and garlic sauce), while the South African version, the Gatsby, often features fried polony sausage, salad and sauces. Fries are also popular additions to Middle Eastern shawarmas and Greek gyros.
PB&J is such a popular flavour combination that brands such as Skippy now sell jars with swirls of both ingredients. It’s thought the first recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich appeared in 1901 in Boston; at the time, peanut butter was becoming popular in upscale tea rooms across New York City, so this was considered an exclusive dish. Today it’s a comforting combination enjoyed by kids and adults alike – and one that arguably needs no recipe.
Sausages are incredibly versatile, which explains why so many countries use them in sandwiches. In the UK, a sausage sandwich simply features cooked sausages and lashings of ketchup (or brown sauce) in a bread roll. Things are more decadent in Porto, Portugal, where the traditionally gooey and decadent francesinha layers Portuguese sausage with smoked ham and melted cheese, all doused in a rich tomato and beer sauce. Sausages also take a starring role in Argentina’s choripan, the Balkans’ cevapi sandwich and Germany’s bratwurst sandwich.
While corned beef may seem distinctly North American, its origins actually lie in diasporic Jewish and Irish communities. Though it was the English who coined the term for brisket, which was originally cured with rock salt as big as corn kernels. These days, corned beef is often flavoured with spices and sugar, before being thinly sliced and served with mustard and pickle, or, in the case of the popular Reuben sandwich, grilled with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian or Thousand Island dressing.
Multinational retailer Marks & Spencer sold the first pre-packaged sandwich in 1980. Just a year later, it launched the prawn mayonnaise sandwich – and it’s been a mainstay of British lunches ever since. Typically, the filling combines just three ingredients: prawns, mayonnaise and black pepper and is served on malted brown bread. As always there are variations on the theme, with the addition of herbs, spices or Marie Rose sauce. Prawn mayo is also a popular filling in Australia and New Zealand, typically stuffed into soft bread rolls.
As a duo, ham and cheese provide a base for unique – and delicious – sandwiches all over the world. The French elevate these humble ingredients in the croque monsieur by adding Gruyère and a simple béchamel sauce and sautéing the sandwich in butter until crisp and golden. In the US, the Monte Cristo puts a spin on the croque monsieur by battering and deep frying the sandwich. And then there’s the Cubano, with its grilled ham, Swiss cheese, marinated roast pork, pickles and mustard.
Pastrami is thought to have originated from either Romania or Turkey. Similar to corned beef, pastrami can be made from brisket, though it often comes from a cut just below the ribs that’s leaner and juicier. Where it differs, though, is that it’s coated in spices like black pepper, coriander and mustard seeds, then smoked, making it moist and fragrant. Pastrami on rye is of course synonymous with New York City’s Jewish delis and is also a popular alternative to corned beef in the Reuben.
No one quite knows how the BLT came about. Some claim it evolved from English tea sandwiches eaten during Victorian times, while others say it’s simply a variation of the traditional club sandwich that appeared in the US in the early 20th century. Regardless, the salty bacon, crisp, fresh lettuce and juicy tomatoes form a magical trio, which some like to enhance further with mustard or mayo.
This sandwich filling shines due to its simplicity and versatility. From sharp Cheddar to oozing Camembert, creamy mozzarella to spicy pepper Jack, a cheese sandwich done well really can’t be beaten. And while often paired with deli meats, onion or tomato, cheese works equally well as a filling on its own, particularly when toasted. Case in point, the mighty American grilled cheese – also known as a cheese toastie in the UK and a jaffle in Australia.