BLT Sandwich

Crispy, crunchy and salty bacon, fresh, slightly acidic tomatoes, chilled lettuce, mayonnaise, and toast - there is little, if no excuses for error while making a BLT sandwich. However, there are strict rules regarding the ingredients, according to food critic Mimi Sheraton: the bacon has to be hot, freshly fried and extremely crispy, the tomatoes must be ripe and sliced thinly, the lettuce must have bite and flavor, so iceberg lettuce is forbidden, and the bread should be toasted until golden-brown.

The origins of BLT are hard to pin down, but some claim it was developed from bacon sandwiches that were originally prepared for teatime in the English countryside since Victorian times. BLT sandwich first appeared in British cookbooks in the late 1920s, and its popularity boomed in America after World War II due to these important factors: lettuce and tomato became available in supermarkets and women, who were usually housewives, began to work outside their homes in much greater numbers than before the war.

Today, the sandwich is so popular that it even has its own month, called the National BLT Month, celebrated in April.