On The Hillel Sandwich

I don't know what percentage of my readership is Jewish (don't think there's a stat counter for that - this isn't IRAN), but anyone with the culinary curiosity of a ten year old might want to open up their cook books for a second and jot down a few notes about the Hillel Sandwich.

The sandwich is named for its inventor, Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder(pictured right), who used to eat it whenever he wasn't waxing about the Jewish faith or amassing mad disciples. It is comprised of haroseth (a nutty, apple-based chutney of a sauce) and raw horseradish and held together by two fresh pieces of Matzoh.

Now every butcher, baker and candelstick maker who hasn't had the sandwich before might not find its ingredients totally appetizing, but I've had about thirty of them in the last two days, and trust me, this is the Arnold Palmer of sandwiches.

The only issue here is the historical inaccuracy brought into question by Hillel and his delicious sandwich. Not to slag the Earl of Sandwich off - he was an innovator and the ultimate Lord of Leisure - but the timing makes you wonder if that dude was truly deserving of all the praise people historically heaped on his lunch table. You don't have to be David McCullough to know that Hillel predated The Earl of Sandwich by several centuries.

But I don't think Hillel the Elder, being the wise sage that he was, would even care that the invention of the sandwich is attributed to the Earl (or in some circles, to Otto Frederick Rohwedder, the inventor of the first mechanical Bread Slicer). The point is, Hillel created the sandwich for people to enjoy, not to debate about. He contrasted tastes with such unique facility of composition so his students could have a quick bite without distraction, not so he could go down in history for inventing the most popular form of lunch.

So do yourself a favor and sit at this bro's historic table. Lunch is served.