Cucumber Sandwiches

Guide Note

Traditional cucumber sandwiches are made using thinly sliced cucumber between crustless, lightly buttered white bread. These delicate sandwiches originated in Great Britain during the Victorian era as a tea-time finger food for the aristocracy. In the present day, they are most often served as hors d'oeuvres or light luncheon fare. Their cool, moist texture makes them an ideal summer snack.

When the cucumber sandwich crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S., it took on a number of variations from the simple cucumber and butter original. These updated cucumber sandwiches are often made with cream cheese and flavored with dill or mint. The bread used can vary widely, with rye, pita, or slices of French bread being most common. Crusts are not always removed. Sometimes extra ingredients such as salmon, watercress, tomatoes, or tuna are added.

Fast Facts

1. British origin
2. Usually eaten as a light snack
3. Often served with tea
4. Traditionally given to cricket players (with tea) during the game break
5. Were once commonly offered to visiting English clergy

1. "You are offered a piece of bread and butter that feels like a damp handkerchief and sometimes, when cucumber is added to it, like a wet one."—Sir Compton MacKenzie
2. "And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the cucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell?"—Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Ernest
3. "A cucumber should be well sliced and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing."—Samuel Johnson