Cookbook author, TV host, and entrepreneur Martha Stewart is such an icon, we’ll listen to just about any suggestions she has — from her tips on organizing your kitchen to her guidance on cooking to her recommendations for making cocktails. If anyone else told us to try eating an onion sandwich, as in onion between bread, we might raise an eyebrow. But that’s just what Stewart posted about on her Instagram page recently, and it has us wondering if there’s something to this refreshingly simple dish.
What endears this sandwich to Stewart and subsequently her fans is nostalgia. This onion sandwich holds a special place in the celebrity’s heart because it’s something she and her father would snack on when challenging each other to late-night games of Scrabble. Stewart originally shared the story on her cooking show, fondly recalling the quality time with her dad and the raw onion, butter, and white bread combination they enjoyed. She acknowledged it might not be as common as, say, a peanut butter and jelly, but that some people just like offbeat things — the Instagram post’s caption reads, “Don’t knock it ’til you try it!”
It’s proven controversial, with some commenters pointing out how this sandwich couldn’t be great for anyone’s breath and that it’s surprisingly minimalist; user @rachel_jenks quipped, “Martha getting us ready for another recession.” Others, however, shared their own unique sandwich preferences and how the onion sandwich might not be that strange in different cultures.
The onion sandwich has other forms an other fans
A quick scroll through the comments of Stewart’s Instagram posts reveals that the onion sandwich might not be as strange as it initially seems. User @butchface says, “Big ‘tell me you’re Polish without telling me you’re Polish’ energy”; onions are indeed a popular staple in Polish cuisine, and another Instagrammer responds that a Polish friend used to enjoy onion sandwiches. In response, another user mentions her Italian father’s favorite sandwich was an onion one, while @sparkifyyourlife says their Italian-American grandfather believed onion sandwiches helped with acne, and yet another commenter notes her friends at an Irish pub like onion sandwiches. Stewart isn’t even the only famous culinary personality to favor this meal: Jacques Pépin discovered onion sandwiches from the legendary James Beard, and continues to make them with mayonnaise and radishes.
Unconventional sandwiches aren’t all that, well, uncommon — something about two slices of bread opens up the possibilities of what can go inside. Elvis Presley likely got some questions when he first realized his love for peanut butter and banana sandwiches with bacon. From the quick and simple to the creative and elaborate, there are plenty of unique sandwiches worth at least trying — you might even find a new favorite, Stewart’s easy-going onion sandwich included. To make her exact recipe, just butter both slices of white bread with sweet butter and stack as many slices of white onion as you wish.
