This Classic Tea Sandwich Was Not Invented In Britain After All

If you know anything about afternoon tea, then you will know that cucumber sandwiches are a non-negotiable part of the spread. Afternoon tea seems to have been invented in the 1840s, however, the first few decades of this snacky afternoon ritual probably didn't include them at all. This is because cucumber sandwiches were not actually invented in Britain. They were, however, invented by Brits abroad, so it is an easy mistake to make. British people living in India at the time of the British Raj were always looking for new ways to beat the heat. One of their cooling culinary inventions? Cucumber sandwiches, of course.

The cucumber had long been popular in the United Kingdom. It was not beloved by everyone, though. Samuel Pepys wrote in his famous 1620s diaries that "Mr Newhouse is dead of eating cowcumbers," "cowcumbers" here being a nickname for cucumbers based on the anti-cuke rhetoric popular at the time that said they were suitable only for cows. Clearly, this slander did not stick, and once the British colonized the Indian subcontinent, they found that a combination of buttery bread and thinly sliced cucumbers was cooling and refreshing. Cucumbers have a very high water content, making them very hydrating. As they're low in calories and not very filling, cucumber sandwiches became a sign of money and class in the Raj and back home. True, old fashioned tea time cucumber sandwiches consist of thickly buttered white bread with slices of cucumber patted dry before they're added, and a pinch of salt, with lemon if you like it. Cut off the crusts and slice the sandwiches into triangles for the true upper-class British (or British Raj) experience.

It's hard to imagine now, as tea's history is so intertwined with Britain, but the United Kingdom's relationship with its favorite drink could have never come to pass. First, they sourced it from China, but things didn't go smoothly. Various trade wars followed, including the Opium Wars, and then the English sent a Scottish botanist called Robert Fortune to China. His mission was complicated. He was supposed to find out how tea grows best and bring back plants and seeds to the U.K. He spent years posing as a Chinese person, claiming to be from the far north. Amazingly, most people seemed to buy this, as China was such a huge country.

In the 1800s, the British started growing both Chinese and Indian tea varieties in various parts of the Indian subcontinent (which was first ruled by the East India Company, and then became the British Raj). This is when cucumber sandwiches and tea became so intertwined. Surprisingly, a hot cup of tea is a great way to cool down on a scorching day. It sounds counterintuitive, but by warming you up more, a hot drink encourages your body to sweat and cool down, and cucumbers sandwiches then help replace some of the moisture lost. Many Indians still drink their chai in very hot weather for its cooling properties, although there are probably few street vendors selling cucumber finger sandwiches to go with it. By the time cucumber sandwiches became the "it" food for Britons on the Indian subcontinent, tea had become the national drink back home. Initially considered a medical tonic, it caught on with the rich in Britain rapidly, and then (when prices and taxes came down), it caught on with everyone else, too.

These days, cucumber sandwiches are a whole category of their own. While a simple version with just cucumbers, butter, bread, and a little seasoning can be delicious in the right context, sometimes you need something more substantial. In Kentucky, for example, the Benedictine has taken the place of the classic cucumber sarnie. This Southern sandwich's filling includes cream cheese, onion, sour cream, dill, cucumber, and salt and pepper. Many recipes also add green food coloring, which Queen Victoria might sniff at.

Other twists include using French bread and adding cream cheese and herbs for an open-faced sandwich that's a little more filling than the original dainty triangles. Some people even swear by adding a protein-boost to their cucumber sandwiches with a nut butter, but as a Brit, that's a step too far for me. It might taste fine, but it has no place in an afternoon tea (or classic high tea) spread. If you are planning on making traditional cucumber sandwiches, try to find English cucumbers. They are more delicate and less bitter than their United States counterparts, and they are the variety traditionally used in finger sandwiches. As English cucumbers are not usually waxed and have a thinner skin, you don't usually have to peel them, either, making sandwich construction incredibly simple.