Sandwiches and Wraps

United States

Pastrami on rye is New York's signature sandwich and a staple of many Jewish delis. This simple sandwich traditionally consists of delicate pastrami slices that are placed on rye bread, then topped with spicy mustard, and the whole thing is typically accompanied by kosher dill pickles on the side. It was originally invented in 1888 by a Lithuanian immigrant named Sussman Volk, who was also the owner of one of the first delis in New York City. Today, Katz's Delicatessen is believed to be the best place for a great pastrami on rye sandwich.

Pastrami on rye

Patty melt is an American sandwich consisting of Swiss cheese and an onion-topped hamburger patty between slices of grilled rye bread. The flavorful sandwich was invented in California in the late 1940s by Tiny Naylor, the owner of Biff's and Tiny Naylor restaurants. It is believed that the dish served as an inspiration for the famous tuna melt, using tuna as a substitute for the hamburger patty. Most often, patty melt is served with French fries, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and a Thousand Island dressing on the side. Today, it can be found in many diners and fast-food restaurants across the country.

Patty Melt

Peacemaker is a traditional sandwich originating from New Orleans. It&rsquo;s also a type of po&rsquo;boy, and some claim that it might even be its predecessor. Dating back to the 19th century, the sandwich consists of a French loaf that&rsquo;s filled with lots of fried oysters. Nowadays, usual additions to the sandwich include lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and various sauces. The peacemaker was allegedly named after husbands who would bring these sandwiches home to their wives as an apology for their bad behavior.

Peacemaker

Canada

Originating from Toronto, this simple sandwich consists of thick slices of fatty and crispy peameal bacon on a Kaiser bun. The bun soaks up the bacon's juices, developing its own meaty texture in the process. The sandwich is usually paired with mustard, and nowadays there are even modern versions with added cheese, eggs, tomatoes, or lettuce. The bacon is called peameal because it used to be rolled in ground yellow peas, and although it's now typically rolled in cornmeal, the name peameal bacon remains unchanged.

Peameal bacon sandwich

A staple of American childhood foods, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or PB&amp;J for short is a sandwich consisting of two slices of bread, one with a layer of peanut butter, and the other one with jelly or jam. Quick, easy, and affordable, the first written reference for the sandwich appeared in 1901 in the Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics. As peanut butter and jelly were both staples of military rations during World War II, the returning soldiers helped popularize the sandwich and it quickly spread throughout the United States. Before World War II, peanuts were expensive, and usually reserved only for the rich people, typically consumed in sandwiches with pimento cheese or meat at upscale New York City tearooms. The packaged, sliced bread also helped with the popularization of PB&amp;J, since children could also easily make their own sandwiches. Today, it is a traditional American favorite, so much that a 2002 survey showed that the average American will have eaten a whopping 1500 of PB&amp;J sandwiches before high school graduation.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Pheasant salad sandwich is a traditional sandwich originating from South Dakota. It dates back to World War II, when it was made in local canteens for traveling soldiers. Back then, the sandwiches were given out free of charge and consisted of pheasant meat, bread, mayonnaise, relish, celery, carrots, onions, and hard-boiled eggs. Although the time of war has passed, the sandwich remained a South Dakota specialty, but now it's made in a modern version with pheasant meat, apples, pecans, cranberries, Swiss cheese, and grilled marbled rye bread.

Pheasant Salad Sandwich

Pie barm or Wigan kebab is a unique English sandwich hailing from Wigan. The sandwich consists of a meat pie that's sandwiched between a barm cake &ndash; a buttered roll that's leavened with barm (beer foam, in most cases). The Wiganers are well-known for their pie-eating and they even attempted to send a pie to space in 2016, but didn't succeed. The pie used as the filling for this sandwich is usually of the meat-and-potatoes variety.

Pie barm

Pilgrim sandwich is a practical way of using leftovers from Thanksgiving Day. It consists of sliced bread or sliced bread roll filled with slices of roast turkey, turkey stuffing, cranberry sauce, and cheese &ndash; typically cheddar. There are many versions of this sandwich, and gravy is the most common optional ingredient added into the pilgrim, although it can also be enriched with the addition of butter, onions, apples, and celery. Nowadays, according to Esquire, the pilgrim is one of America's favorite sandwiches.

Pilgrim Sandwich

Pimento cheeseburger is a traditional version of a cheesburger originating from the South, and it's especially popular in South Carolina. It consists of soft burger buns, grilled burger patties, and pimento cheese spread. The pimento spread is made with a base of grated cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimento peppers. Once assembled, the pimento cheeseburger can be eaten as it is, although some people prefer additional toppings such as lettuce, fried onions, or tomatoes, but those are completely optional.

Pimento Cheeseburger

Pit beef is a traditional sandwich originating from Baltimore. It consists of minimally seasoned charcoal-grilled beef (usually top round roast) that's thinly sliced and served on a bread roll or sliced white bread with condiments such as horseradish, mayonnaise, and thin-sliced raw onions. The meat should, ideally, be rare in the middle. According to Baltimore food writer Richard Gorelick, the sandwich was first served just before the 1970s at stands around Pulaski Highway. Pit beef was also a memorable part of the plot in John Waters' 1998 cult movie Pecker.

Pit Beef Sandwich

Po'boy is a unique sandwich with a rich history. It originated from Louisiana in the early 20th century, when it was invented by two brothers named Benny and Clovis Martin. The Martins opened a sandwich shop in New Orleans and started to make po'boys with French bread filled with a variety of meat or seafood such as roast beef, ham and cheese, meatballs, oysters, crabs, or shrimps. The combinations of ingredients are virtually infinite. The name of the sandwich refers to the moment when one of the New Orleans streetcar conductors, who were on strike at the time, entered the Martins' shop, and someone shouted: "Here comes another po-boy"! The sandwich gained huge popularity due to the locally-made bread which is crispy on the exterior and incredibly soft on the interior. Today, this Louisiana staple is commonly served with French fries and gravy, and it is recommended to pair it with a cold beer on the side.

Po'Boy

China

Popiah is a traditional roll, wrapped and filled with a variety of ingredients. Often compared to the more famous spring rolls, the main difference is that popiah is never deep-fried. The crepe-like wrappers for popiah are delicate and light, but easily foldable to hold all the ingredients together. The fillings are extremely versatile, but usually have four essential components: the main fillings, garnishes, spices, and sauces. The main fillings vary from meat and seafood to vegetables, while thinly sliced condiments most commonly include cucumbers, Chinese sausages, or eggs. Popiah is usually assembled according to preference, but most often a thin layer of spicy or sweet sauce is put on the wrapper, followed by a salad leaf that helps in holding all the ingredients together. When wrapped, and before it is served, popiah is cut into bite-sized pieces. However, the most common way to enjoy this traditional dish at parties is to serve all the ingredients separately and to allow the guests to assemble popiah according to personal preferences. Even though it originated in the Chinese Fujian province, popiah is also a part of the cuisines of Singapore and Malaysia, with different varieties popular in other Asian countries.

Popiah

Categorically somewhere between a hamburger and a hot dog, porilainen is a simple Finnish sandwich consisting of slices of white bread filled with sliced pork sausage (usually jahtimakkara), vegetables, garlic flavoring, and condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, or ketchup. It is believed that the sandwich was named after the city of Pori, although some claim that it was named after hampurilainen, meaning hamburger in Finnish. The sandwich can be bought at fairs and festivals from numerous street vendors.

Porilainen

Although the generically named pork roll is produced by several manufacturers, most New Jerseyans demand John Taylor's original pork roll, which has been produced since 1856. Also known as Taylor Ham, it is a breakfast staple and an ideal hangover remedy, a processed pork product made with a combination of spices, salt, and preservatives that's smoked before it's sold. It can be found at almost every deli or diner in New Jersey in the form of a sandwich filled with sliced and grilled pork roll, eggs, and cheese. Although the sandwich is commonly eaten on a bagel, it can also be served on croissants or English muffins. The pork roll is so popular in New Jersey that a traditional Pork Roll Festival is held annually in its honor.

Pork Roll

The pork tenderloin sandwich consists of a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet that is usually served on a hamburger bun. Typical side dishes include french fries and onion rings, while the condiments of choice are usually mustard, lettuce, pickles, or mayonnaise. The sandwich is popular throughout the Midwest, especially in the states of Indiana and Iowa. According to estimates, the sandwich is served in at least fifty percent of Indiana restaurants. The most popular theory suggests that the pork tenderloin sandwich originated in Huntington, Indiana, when Nicholas Freinstein opened a restaurant called Nick's Kitchen in 1908. From there, the sandwich has spread across central Indiana and beyond, acting as a unique substitute for its similar, famous cousin called the Wiener schnitzel.

Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

Prego is a ubiquitous Portuguese sandwich prepared with thin slices of beef that are seasoned with garlic, fried, saut&eacute;ed alongside onions and wine, then placed inside a bread roll. The name prego translates to a nail, and though it is not certain, it is believed it refers to the act of pounding or nailing garlic slices onto the steaks. Though it is sometimes served without any condiments, prego is typically accompanied by mustard and hot sauce, and is occasionally topped with a fried egg. If served on a plate, when it is usually paired with fries, rice, and a fried egg, it usually goes under the name prego no prato.

Prego

Italy

Profezeni are traditional Italian sandwiches hailing from Trentino. They're made with a combination of thick slices of bread, milk, eggs, butter, onions, parsley, flour, olive oil, and chopped veal brains. The bread slices are dipped in milk, and the butter-saut&eacute;ed veal brains with parsley are then sandwiched between the two slices. Once assembled, the sandwiches are dipped in a batter of eggs, flour, and milk, then fried in olive oil until golden. Profezeni are usually drained before they're ready to be served.

Profezeni

Prosperity sandwich is a traditional sandwich originating from St. Louis. Invented at the Mayfair Hotel in the 1920s, the sandwich consists of three slices of buttered toasted bread topped with a slice of ham and a slice of turkey. The sandwiches are sliced in half diagonally, and each serving consists of three halves that are arranged on a plate. They're topped with tomato slices and a sauce consisting of butter, flour, milk, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, Swiss cheese, and Parmesan cheese. The sandwiches are browned under a broiler and served hot. If desired, add saut&eacute;ed mushrooms and shallots before placing a layer of ham on the bread.

Prosperity Sandwich

Puccia Pugliese is a type of panini from Salento and Taranto that is made with puccia bread and is usually filled with local cured meats and cheeses such as giuncata, capocollo di Martina Franca or a copious amount of vegetables. The puccia bread is round bread, about 20-30 cm (8-12&rdquo;) in diameter, and can be made with pizza or bread dough. It has very little crumb, making it perfect for filling with various ingredients. However, there are other kinds of puccia bread as well, such as the uliate, which are smaller and interspersed with cured black olives, and the puccia that is made with semolina. When it comes to the filling, there are no rules. Anything goes, from local cured meats and cheese to hamburger patties, uccelletti (smoked scamorza wrapped in prosciutto)i, and horsemeat rag&ugrave;.

Puccia Pugliese

Purgatorio is a traditional Calabrian vegetable dish, although some might even consider it to be an unusual sandwich because it's usually served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. The dish is made with plum tomatoes, basil, olive oil, eggplants, young potatoes, and peppers. The sauce is cooked until the vegetables become tender and the potatoes soft. A loaf of bread is then cut lengthwise, some of the bread is scooped out, and in goes the purgatorio. The bread is typically closed, sliced, and served while the sauce inside is still hot. In the past, the farmers used to take this dish to the fields and eat it for lunch.