Open Sandwiches – chlebicky and more

[helenjp]

I recently read a kindle book called "Czech Deli Sandwiches" by Jana Mladek, and was struck by her comment that open sandwiches , "chlebicky" or http://www.pinterest.com/andelyna/oblozene-chlebicky/  "oblozeny chlebicek", should have a different flavor in each bite. Goodbye symmetry! Hello taste and visual appeal! I believe there is even a song about them...

 

With a layer of potato salad on the bread (slices from a batard are the easiest for me to come by), the toppings "stick", making the sandwich easy to eat. However, you can just use butter, and although I don't know what's common, other "sticky" layers are easy to imagine.

I should have taken photos, but I'm afraid the evidence disappears too fast every time I make them for weekend meals or party contributions - they perfect for early spring, because of the very ordinary ingredients enlivened by the combination of small amounts of so many different things, and the pretty arrangement. Toppings are the usual suspects of preserved meats, slices of hard-boiled egg,sliced cheeses, and pickles, enlivened with salad leaves, watercress, parsley, capers, green peas, pickled bell peppers, asparagus tips, shrimps, tiny piece of tomato...

What about other European open sandwiches? Germany? Russia? And I'm sure my idea of Scandinavian open sandwiches is much more boring than the reality.

[gfweb]

Some of them look very difficult to eat unless with a knife and fork.

[Anna N]

Some of them look very difficult to eat unless with a knife and fork.

Certainly a knife and fork are expected if serving Danish open face sandwiches. I believe the French tartines are another example of open sandwiches.

This

http://www.amazon.ca/Danish-Open-Sandwiches-Mette-Herborg/dp/8714280469/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394539198&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Danish+open+face+sandwiches

Is my bible of Danish sandwiches.

Edited to add link.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Anna N (log)

[helenjp]

Chlebicky seem to be genuinely hand-held size, which is good. I think knife and fork sandwiches are somehow cheating!

[gfweb]

Chlebicky seem to be genuinely hand-held size, which is good. I think knife and fork sandwiches are somehow cheating!

Looking at googled images; these things look like they'd fall apart if bitten into...and are often on fairly thick bread that would be too tough to bite through neatly without scattering the topping.

 

Pretty and tasty-looking though.

[rotuts]

Its and interesting idea that everyu bite be a bit differerent.  Danish Open's are one of my favorite things.  the best Ive had and they are hard to find was in Toronto a million years ago at the Danish Import House or some such name

 

a very small place that featured Danish products and was subsidized by the Danish Gov.  a large array of Open's for breatfast ( maybe) and lunch

 

once a month there was a reservation only ( it filled up quickly ) somrrebrod downstairs for the evening.  literally.

 

a lot of drinking and singing.

[Anna N]

Its and interesting idea that everyu bite be a bit differerent.  Danish Open's are one of my favorite things.  the best Ive had and they are hard to find was in Toronto a million years ago at the Danish Import House or some such name

 

a very small place that featured Danish products and was subsidized by the Danish Gov.  a large array of Open's for breatfast ( maybe) and lunch

 

once a month there was a reservation only ( it filled up quickly ) somrrebrod downstairs for the evening.  literally.

 

a lot of drinking and singing.

Spent many happy hours there!

http://torontoist.com/2012/02/vintage-toronto-ads-danish-delights-at-the-copenhagen-room/

[rotuts]

I must say I enjoyed myself, as Im a fan of the smorrebord.  raw meat, egg yolks, pickled fish :  all the essential food groups right there.

 

and I doubt the Crowd ( seemed to have a number of monthly regulars : Haya Haarald!  Whas-up Grundunt   etc )

 

they drank a lot of that High-Test w dill:  came in bottles in cylindrical Ice Sleeves. the place would have saved freezer space by

 

just having a spigot at each table.  As I cant stand the stuff, happy folks would come by my table and ask me to try it.

 

Very Friendly.  I think these were Displaced Vikings from Way Back.  After about 4 hours of Gluttony, the dessert replaced the fish.

 

cant remember a thing about that. doubt there were open-faced dessert sandwiches.  But maybe ...

 

then the singing:  booklets were distributed, more toasts were made and the singing started.

 

I must say, when the Alphabet was being handed out, the Vikings were either ripping out trees for the fire, or badly hung over.

 

Perhaps the later.  No Matter what Northern Language the songs were in, and they were in all of them,  there were a lot of slashed

 

vowels  and extra dots here and there. but no matter what language the songs were in everybody knew them:

 

" Hurry Hilda, throw another tree on the fire ' seemed popular.

 

anyway, everybody loved it,  it lasted at least until 2 or so.  hard to say at that point

 

wonderful experience.  and not just the food.

 

PS  thanks Anna for the ref.  Good Times Had By All

Edited March 11, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

One day Kerry Beal and I will manage a lunch for ladies here:

http://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-danish-place-puslinch

Their selection of open face sandwiches pales in comparison with the offereings of the defunct Copenhagen Room where my favourite was a warm duck and braised red cabbage offering.

Here is a list of some combinations one can make

http://www.danishsandwich.com/p/smrrebrd-recipe-list.html?m=1

My husband and I used to hold an annual Danish lunch to which we invited many friends and relatives and offered many of the fixings for these sandwiches.

[rlibkind]

Yum, Smorrebord. Many different herrings!

[CatPoet]

http://catpuss.deviantart.com/art/Svedala-Blues-123902798

 

This is a sandwich I have made and this is a very common open faced sandwich.

 

By the  way Smörrebröd can be anything on a slab of bread, it is a Danish word that is the same as sandwich, just means butter bread and they are famous for their sandwiches.  

We are pondering next summer to go to Denmark over the day and I will try to get my husband to eat a lovely  leverpaté with bacon sandwich.

[rlibkind]

http://catpuss.deviantart.com/art/Svedala-Blues-123902798

This is a sandwich I have made and this is a very common open faced sandwich.

Is that Kalle on that sandwich? I fill IKEA Krustades with it.

[CatPoet]

Kalle on a sandwich as a normal person would eat it.   Odd thing to have in krustades, really odd for me, I most often get that at new year with  a thick sauce with ham or ham.