Barry Enderwick is eating his way through history — one sandwich at a time.

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Barry Enderwick’s bread-and-butter? Eating his way through history, one sandwich at a time. After receiving the 1909 cookbook “The Up-to-Date Sandwich Book,” the marketing exec decided to recreate some of its recipes, sharing his experience on social media. Since then, Enderwick (aka, @sandwichesofhistory) has made at least 700 sandwiches from different time periods and countries — including Egg and Macaroni, Mushroom Crabwich, and Hot Dog Sloppy Joe. To learn more, we spoke to Enderwick. Here’s what he had to say...

Q: You have more than 300,000 TikTok followers. Did you ever think your videos would be so popular?

When I started, a friend who [works in] social media said, “This should be huge.” And it did get huge. I didn’t believe him [at first], because it’s just me, in a kitchen, making sandwiches. But everyone loves sandwiches: [They’re] in just about every culture. You can mix and match fillings, breads, and cuisines to create interesting combinations. And there’s the historical aspect — looking back and seeing what tastes were like in 1909 or 1896 [and comparing those] to now … [Also], my videos are pretty straightforward. I’m not doing a dance, stunt, or trick. I’m not doing really rapid edits. [That’s] a little counter to a lot of social media … I never really expected this.

Q: Of all the sandwiches you’ve made, which one has been the best? Why?

The Tomato Sandwich from New Orleans’ Turkey and the Wolf. It’s in their cookbook, and it’s mind-blowing. You butter and toast both sides of thick bread, then add mayonnaise, salted roasted sunflower seeds, thick slices of tomato, salt, pepper, a ton of fresh dill and basil, and lemon juice. It’s probably one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had ... [A good sandwich] comes down to contrasting flavors: You want richness, sharpness, some sort of vegetal aspect, and maybe a little sweetness. [And you want to] hit all these different notes in a way that syncs ... [so] it’s greater than the sum of its parts ... That really makes a sandwich, and The Tomato [does that].

Q: What about the weirdest sandwiches you’ve made?

Oh boy, strap in. [There was] the Yeast Sandwich. You take a fresh yeast cake, mash it up with Worcestershire sauce, and put that between buttered bread. I felt like I was being punished. Also, the Oyster Sandwich, which was the first sandwich I made on Instagram. For the record, I love raw oysters. But for this, you chop raw oysters, mix them with olive oil and Worcestershire sauce, then add that to lettuce and buttered bread. It was this slimy mess of a sandwich that doesn’t taste great. And I did the Cheese and Anchovy Sandwich — which I could have seen working as a tapa, with manchego and anchovy filets. But [the cheese] was cottage cheese and [the anchovies were something] called “anchovy essence.” It was terrible.

Q: Has one been particularly surprising — in a good way?

The Peanut Butter and Vegetable Sandwich ... When I first read the name, I thought, This is not going to be good. You mix peanut butter, a little water, and mayonnaise, then you spread that on bread and add minced onion, green bell pepper, and celery. [When] I tasted it, I realized it was [similar to] a gumbo. When you make gumbo, you [start with] a roux — [which] has a nutty flavor. Then you add the [holy] trinity of Cajun cooking: bell pepper, onion, and celery. So I added Cajun seasoning to make [the sandwich] complete, and it was actually pretty good.

Q: What’s one thing that you were surprised to learn about the history of sandwiches?

Up until the ‘60s, lots of sandwiches called for buttered bread. I think there’s a couple reasons for that: One, it keeps the bread from [getting soggy]. Plus, bread used to be [mostly] homemade, meaning it was drier and would stale quicker. So it helped [everything] stay together. But what’s interesting is that [even though] it fell out of favor in the US, it’s still done in the UK and Europe. And they can’t understand why we don’t.

Q: This weekend is a popular time for Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches. Any advice on how to take them to the next level? 

Take a look at different cuisines. A leftovers sandwich is good once or twice, but then you get to a point where it’s like, ‘Wow, I'm having Thanksgiving again.’ So what are different textures or flavors from other cuisines that you can introduce? Could you bring in Sriracha? Or, a Japanese barbecue sauce? That gives your ingredients a different spin — so [it feels like] you’re not continually eating the same leftovers. [And] that’ll hopefully be more interesting than ‘Thanksgiving part three.’

🙃 In adulting…

Still digesting everything that happened at Thanksgiving? A postmortem might help. Or, if talking’s the last thing you want to do, consider a “pretox” before the holidays. You could also fly solo to a land far, far away. Oh and turns out, money can buy happiness — as long as you’re earning around $284,000.

🗣️ In culture…

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🥪 In food…

From Italian subs to bacon, egg, and cheese bagels, sandwich-flavored cocktails are raising the bar. Meanwhile, Kit Kat is breaking out a sweet new flavor, and TikTokers are on the microwave parmesan rind. Plus, there’s some grate news for Olive Garden fans.

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