April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day! Although it only requires three ingredients (bread, cheese, and butter), grilled cheese is one of the most popular comfort foods in the world.
In Australia we call it a "cheese toasty" short for toasted sandwich. Which, if you think about it, makes more sense as you're not actually grilling anything in a grilled cheese, but you do toast the bread .... 😉
We like to have a ham and cheese toasty, a ham, cheese and tomato toasty or plain cheese toasty.
In fact many civilizations make the popular dish in very different ways? Did you know that the Ancient Romans were the first civilization to make a cooked bread and cheese sandwich? TRUTH! Still, many cultures have invented their own take on this ancient dish. In France, people enjoy Croque Monsieur (a grilled ham and cheese sandwich) while in Switzerland, they melt the cheese and toast the bread separately before combining them.
As for the classic American grilled cheese, the sandwich emerged in the 1920s when inexpensive cheese and affordable sliced bread became available. It’s now a staple in cafés, diners, and school cafeterias across the country!
Here are three ways to make grilled cheese, and an option for the vegans out there.