Every country has their famous
‘national’ sandwich. The Americans have their burgers and hotdogs, the French
are very proud on their Croque Monsieur, a baked sandwich with cheese and ham,
and their fresh baguettes with ham, the famous 'jambon beurre' , the Italians like their
Panini as the Vietnamese have their favorite Banh Mi sandwich.
And the Belgians have their Martino
sandwich. "Invented" in 1951 by a former soccer player, Albert De Hert, who was
running the small sandwich bar named Quick at the famous De Coninckplein in Antwerp.
The story goes that one evening another soccer player nicknamed ‘Martino’, came
in after drinking obviously a few beers too much and asked for a sandwich with
‘everything’ and it had to be spicy.
In the
kitchen Albert got a half baguette, spread it with ‘filet americain’ (minced
raw beef mixed with mayonnaise, mustard, some capers, pepper and salt) and
topped it with minced onion, chopped pickles, tabasco sauce, some ketchup and
mustard. The sandwich was born.
In the following days more clients
of the small sandwich bar asked for ‘the same sandwich as Martino had’ and the
legend was born!
Since those days in 1951 the
Martino sandwich has conquered the whole country and became also very popular
in the Netherlands.
Two years later a new sandwich bar
opened in the city of Genth with the name Martino. Situated among student homes
in this university city, not far from the red light district and a few steps
away from theaters and event halls, Martino opened only in the evening and
stayed open till dawn serving the famous sandwich, among others, at students,
partygoers, prostitutes and policemen having night duty.
And in the last twenty even thirty
years every sandwich bar in the country is serving this famous Belgian
sandwich!
Of course over the years there were
multiple ‘inventors’ who showed up. But I know for sure that the Martino of
Albert De Hert was the real original one.
In those days my father was studying
in Antwerp and was a regular client of the Quick, the sandwich bar where the
Martino was invented.
And what he ate? Martino of course
with a beer!
Try this out, you will surely like
this sandwich!
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