Charcoal-grilled sandwich

What it is

A Taiwanese breakfast sandwich (碳烤三明治 or 炭烤三明治) made with sliced white bread toasted on a wire grill over charcoal. The fire leaves grill marks and a light char, crisp outside and soft within. A common filling is fried egg, ham, sliced cucumber and sweet mayonnaise. Some shops add cheese, and some Tainan stalls use sweet spreads instead.

Where it came from

Bread for breakfast is a post-war habit in Taiwan. In the 1950s and 1960s, US aid brought large amounts of wheat and flour onto the island. Bakeries spread, and bread with fresh milk became a familiar morning meal. After American forces left in 1979, cooks who had worked at the US military advisory group's officers' club opened restaurants in Taipei selling burgers and sandwiches. The cheap chain breakfast shop Mei Er Mei (美而美), which mixed Taiwanese and Western items, followed there.

Charcoal-toasted bread has a long run on the street as well. Da Kou Pang in Kaohsiung dates its stall to 1965, and a Tainan stall facing the Martial Temple has been toasting bread for more than 60 years. Newer shops keep the charcoal for its old-fashioned flavour.

How it is made

Slices of bread are laid on a wire grill over a small charcoal stove until both sides are golden and marked by the wire. Eggs are fried separately, in lard at some old stalls, until soft and fluffy. The toast is spread with mayonnaise or a sweet spread, then layered with egg and the other fillings. One Tainan shop burns acacia wood (相思木) because it gives a steadier flame and scorches less.

How to eat it

It is eaten for breakfast and, at some shops, as an evening or late-night snack. At Da Kou Pang, toast (吐司) means two uncut slices and a sandwich (三明治) means three; if you eat in, you can ask for it to be cut in half (對切). Queues are normal at the well-known stalls.