Open sandwich

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Smørbrød, Norwegian open sandwich

An open sandwich, also known as an open face sandwich or open faced sandwich, is a sandwich consisting of one slice of bread with one or more food items on top of it. Technically a half bagel with cream cheese and lox is an open sandwich.

It is the common, traditional sandwich type in the Scandinavian countries, where it is typically eaten at lunch, but may also be eaten as part of breakfast and/or supper. It is also available in Vienna, as well as other parts of Europe, for lunch.

In the United States an open faced sandwich generally refers to a slice of bread topped with warm slices of roasted meat and gravy, or bread topped with Welsh rarebit.

Open faced shrimp sandwich

The Danish smørrebrød is another type of open sandwich. The sandwich consists of one piece of buttered rugbrød — the Danish hard, whole-grain rye bread, topped with any of a variety of meats, including various cold cuts, bacon, herring, fish fillets, eggs and liver paté (Danish, leverpostej), and then usually a further layer of some vegetable (for example, thinly sliced cucumber, tomato wedges or pickled beets) and then usually a condiment, such as mayonnaise, or toasted onion bits. A traditional replacement for butter on a piece of bread with herring is pig fat. There are many traditional variations associated with the Danish open sandwich. There are special stores which specialize in these sandwiches. A woman who is trained in making these traditional combinations is called a smørrebrødsjomfru (literally, "smørrebrød maid").

The Dutch and Flemish Uitsmijter arrives on a large plate with 2 large slices of usually white bread, and a selection of meats, cheeses, vegetables and possibly an egg arranged between. The dish is often served as a hearty breakfast.