Croque Monsieurs & Other Ways The World Makes Grilled Cheese (Slideshow)
Bauru — Brazil
Named after the Brazilian city in which it was created, a "Bauru" is made with mozzarella cheese melted in a bain-marie over roast beef slices, tomato, and pickles on a French bun — with the soft inside of the bun removed.
Bombay Masala Cheese Toast Sandwich — India
A popular street food in Mumbai, the Indian version of a grilled cheese sandwich is called a Bombay Masala Cheese Toast Sandwich and is prepared with a green chutney sauce, mashed potato filling mixed with various spices, masala, and a few vegetables like onion and capsicum.
Cheese Arepa — South America
In South America, the traditional arepa becomes cheesy when cheese is melted in the middle or baked into the dough.
Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame — France
In a Croque Monsieur — the French equivalent of a grilled cheese — Gruyère cheese is melted over a ham sandwich as well as inside of it. A Croque Madame is the same, but with a fried egg on top.
Jibarito — Puerto Rico
Fried green plantains take the place of bread in this Puerto Rican grilled cheese specialty that is traditionally filled with steak and melted cheese, topped with lettuce and tomato, and spread with garlic-seasoned mayonnaise.
Quesadilla — Mexico
The familiar sandwich known as the quesadilla — a cheese-filled (and often meat- and vegetable-filled) tortilla, folded in half and grilled — originated in Mexico.
Cuban — Cuba
The Cuban — prepared on Cuban bread with Swiss cheese melted over ham and roasted pork and topped with pickles and mustard — comes from Cuba, but it's made its way to Florida, where it's a sandwich icon in Tampa and Miami.
Vegemite Grilled Cheese — Australia
For Australians, there's nothing simpler or tastier than a vegemite grilled cheese sandwich with melted cheese on one side and vegemite on the other.
Welsh Rarebit and Buck Rarebit — England
This classic English grilled cheese is traditionally made by toasting thick slices of bread in the oven, then pouring a savory sauce, consisting of melted cheese, beer, and seasonings like mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce, over the bread. A buck rarebit is the same but with a fried egg on top.