It's the sandwich that stands tall. Three slices of toasted bread, layers of turkey or chicken, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, all cut into triangles and pinned with toothpicks. You'll find it everywhere from diners to hotel room service. But where did the "club" come from?
Here's the short answer. The club sandwich may have started at the Union Club of New York City, a private gentlemen's social club. The earliest known mention, from 1889, calls it a "Union Club sandwich." A competing theory credits a famous gambling club in Saratoga Springs, New York. Nobody can say for certain which came first.
The Earliest Clue: 1889
On November 18, 1889, a New York newspaper called The Evening World asked its readers, "Have you tried a Union Club sandwich yet?" It described two toasted slices of Graham bread with a layer of turkey or chicken and ham between them, served warm.
Several other early references also credited the Union Club's chef with creating the sandwich. Notice that the original didn't have three slices of bread, and there's no bacon mentioned. The classic version we know took shape over time.
That Graham bread was a whole wheat bread inspired by Sylvester Graham, a 19th-century health reformer. He's the same man whose name lives on in Graham crackers.
A Very Exclusive Birthplace
The Union Club was founded in 1836, making it the oldest private club in New York City and the second-oldest city club in the country. It's still considered one of the most prestigious clubs in the city. In the late 1800s, its clubhouse stood on Fifth Avenue at 21st Street.
There's a nice irony there. A sandwich that may have been born in one of New York's most exclusive rooms ended up on the menu of nearly every coffee shop in America.
The Casino Contender
The other theory points to Saratoga Springs, New York, a resort town famous for its spas and gambling. In 1894, a man named Richard Canfield bought the Saratoga Club and turned it into the Canfield Casino. Some say the club sandwich was invented there.
Canfield was known as the "Prince of Gamblers" and was one of the first to develop the modern resort casino. The solitaire card game Canfield is even named after him. His casino drew wealthy guests, big-time gamblers, and entertainment stars, until reformers ended gambling there in 1907.
It's fitting either way. The sandwich itself is said to be named after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who supposedly ate meat between bread so he could keep playing cards without greasy fingers.
How the Club Grew Its Layers
By 1899, the club sandwich was appearing on restaurant menus across the United States. An 1897 recipe already had three layers, though the chicken and ham were separated by a lettuce leaf rather than a slice of bread.
Chicken was the classic choice, but turkey has become more common over time. Today there are endless variations, from a breakfast club with eggs to fancy versions with oysters, salmon, or crab. In New Zealand, a club sandwich is a dainty tea sandwich with egg mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato.
So the next time you pull out that toothpick and tackle a towering club, you're eating a little piece of Gilded Age New York. No membership required.
