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Food site names Connecticut's best sandwich

Food site Spoon University set out to find the best sandwich in each state based on popularity, local reviews and the cuisine of the area.

Photo of Lidia Ryan
Lidia Ryan

The most popular story of how the sandwich originated is from the 1700s. Legend has it the Earl of Sandwich ordered meat between slices of bread so that he could eat while playing cards and the sandwich was born.

But everyone does sandwiches differently. Food site Spoon University set out to find the best sandwich in each state based on popularity, local reviews and the cuisine of the area.

In Connecticut, the site decided that a burger from Louis' Lunch in New Haven is actually the best sandwich. But is a burger a sandwich?

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Click through the slideshow to see some of southwestern Connecticut's best sandwich shops.

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The Atlantic came up with this criteria to make a true sandwich:

- having two exterior pieces of bread or bread-like product
- mostly horizontal in structure
- portable
- containing more than just a condiment

By this definition, a burger is a sandwich, though many might disagree.

Likely, the reason Spoon University picked Louis' Lunch is due to its history. Louis' Lunch is the oldest restaurant in Connecticut and claims to be the birthplace of the hamburger.

Related: Guide to road food in Connecticut

According to the restaurant's site, "One day in 1900, a gentleman hurriedly walked into Louis' Lunch and told proprietor Louis Lassen he was in a rush and wanted something he could eat on the run. In an instant, Louis placed his own blend of ground steak trimmings between two slices of toast and sent the gentleman on his way. And so, the most recognizable American sandwich was born."