What Should I Write About a Jam Sandwich?

The jam sandwich. White bread. Strawberry jam. What in the heck am I supposed to write about a jam sandwich?

I mean, that’s basically it

Should I write a thinkpiece about how millenials are ruining snacks? Or a series of jam sandwich recipes? Should I write about a child’s first foray into food prep? Should I write about the superiority of the PB&J, which due to the peanut butter has some actual nutritional value? Should I write about toasted vs untoasted, white bread vs brown, or do a comparative study of some of the endless number of strawberry jam products available?

There are a lot more than this to be sure

I’ve eaten a lot of strawberry jam sandwiches over the past week or so and I only have a few observations. It’s just not that deep a subject.

There are a lot of different variables making strawberry jams different from each other, but when it comes down to it, they’re basically all the same thing. Some may be a bit more fragrant, while others are sweeter. Some are chunkier or smoother, thicker or thinner. Some have more seeds. The differences are minor once you’ve spread the jam onto some bread.

Unless it’s strawberry rhubarb jam, which is nice and tart

Though if the jam is one of the less thick varieties, adding some butter to the bread can keep it from soaking in too much.

My 9yo reminds me that the butter adds flavor as well, and he’s right. The butter makes the sandwich more like a sandwich and less like a cake with a strawberry layer (especially when using untoasted squishy white bread.)

But why strawberry? Strawberries are a popular fruit in England, hardy plants with a long growing season, available in England fresh from early May into the autumn. The thing about jam though is that it’s a method of preservation. Once properly canned, fruit preserves are shelf-stable, can be shipped great distances, and held for months or years. Why shouldn’t Brits use orange marmalade, or fig jam, or, heck, lychee preserves (which I’ve just discovered are actually a thing, and are making their way into my Amazon shopping cart at this moment)?

Despite the prevalence of grape jelly in the US, strawberry jam is one of the most popular fruit preserves in the world. Strawberries, despite their long availability, are not very stable and need to be eaten or preserved quickly after harvest. Mold, bruising, and normal decay quickly make strawberries less than ideal. Commercial strawberries are picked slightly less-than-ripe to make them less susceptible to this type of decay, so they can be transported to stores, and even then must be properly treated to last up to a week in the refrigerator. Freshly-picked ripe strawberries, however, must be eaten or preserved almost immediately, making them a popular choice for canning.

Combine the wide availability of strawberry jam in England with the sudden availability of cheap, bulk-produced bread in the late 19th century, the staple of the urban poor,and the need to flavor bread with something other than drippings, and strawberry jam becomes the “traditional” choice for a sandwich.

Personally, I’m a fan of blueberries. Fuck tradition. (Note: I have about a half dozen jars of strawberry jam in my fridge at the moment. For now, tradition still reigns)

Jim Behymer

I like sandwiches.

I like a lot of other things too but sandwiches are pretty great