Best Cucumber Sandwich Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a cucumber sandwich made of? ›

Spread the cream cheese blend onto slices of French bread. Top with a cucumber slice, and sprinkle with dill. You can make as many or few as you like. the cream cheese mixture keeps for about a week in the refrigerator so you can make them over and over again!

Because cucumbers are watery, the sandwiches are best assembled just a few hours before serving to keep them from becoming soggy.

Steps to Make It

Lay 2 slices of bread on a work surface and spread each slice evenly with 1 tablespoon cream cheese. Cover 1 side of the sandwich with sliced cucumber. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and chives, if using. Cover the cucumbers with the other slice of bread, cream cheese side down.

The cucumber sandwich's light and somewhat nutrition-less attributes signaled that the leisurely upper classes didn't need the high-value food of laborers. The lives of the Victorian elite were primarily sedentary, and dainty foods could sustain them.

Cucumber Sandwiches Appeared During The Victorian Era

When British army officers sought sanctuary in tea houses to avoid the sweltering heat, they were served cucumber sandwiches, which kept them hydrated and cool due to the veggie's high water content.

Mandoline (or some sort of slicing attachment on a food processor) – A mandoline is the best way to get your cucumbers sliced thin. The texture of the sandwich is better with layers of thinly sliced cucumbers verses a thick slice of a cucumber. Bread – Make sure you buy a really good-quality thin sliced bread.

The best way to store cut cucumbers is to wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in an airtight storage container. The tight, locking seal on the cover of the container will help to keep them extra fresh. Place the container in your refrigerator or in the crisper drawer and use the cut cukes within five days.

A classic cucumber tea sandwich consists of a spread of herbed cream cheese and sliced cucumbers in between thin slices of white bread. The crusts are cut from the sandwiches, for a hint of refinement, and the sandwiches are cut in triangles or “fingers” to be easy to eat.

Cucumbers - rolling in salt

Doing so will remove the stipples (bumps) and refresh both the color and flavor. This preparation method is called “itazuri” in Japanese. The recommended amount of salt for 1 cucumber is about 1/2 to 1 tsp. After performing itazuri, quickly rinse off the cucumber and then cut up.

What makes cucumbers taste better? ›

If you have a cucumber that's too bitter to eat, compost it. But, if the bitterness has concentrated near the stem and in the skin (where it's most likely to settle), peel the cucumber and slice off an inch or two near the stem. Many people sprinkle on salt or sugar to balance out the bitter taste.

Cucumber sandwiches achieved literary notoriety in Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) when Algernon devours an entire plate full in the first act and there are none left for his aunt, Lady Bracknell.

The cucumber originated in India, and so did its famous sandwich, as British colonists in India invented the cucumber sandwich when they were looking for foods to help relieve them from the heat. The sandwiches soon made their way to England and became a beloved part of Victorian Era high tea.

After I put so much effort into the intricate details of making these sandwiches, I wanted to learn more about them and I found out that they can actually be traced all the way back to 1870! British settlers in India were trying to find a way to cope with the heat and apparently cucumbers helped.

Kirby Cucumbers

Kirbys are wonderfully crunchy for eating raw, but flavorful enough to be perfect for pickling too. Sometimes, they're even sold under the name "pickling cucumbers."

The radish and cucumber take my taco experience to the next level. They balance the fatty meat with their crisp vegetal qualities. They work alongside the acidity of the salsa to lighten the overall meal and round out the flavor profile. This is also something I can bring into my home cooking.