The Old-School Sandwich That Included Peanut Butter And This Unexpected Canned Ingredient

Humankind has a rich history of coming up with pretty sandwiches. We've seen a ham and cheese with Oreos, a mayo-pineapple sandwich, and a Victorian-era oyster sandwich that was literally just seasoned raw oysters on bread and lettuce. Out of the many old-school sandwiches we could've left in the past, there's one that is surprisingly good, and it just takes two ingredients: peanut butter and canned tuna.

The origins of the sandwich itself are difficult to trace. Author Matthew Dicks claims he's the inventor, but others online have recollections of the sandwich being made by their mothers and their grandmothers. It's unclear exactly how the sandwich came to be, but food traditions elsewhere suggest that this particular mix of flavors isn't as unusual as we might assume.

The combination of seafood and nuts can be found in cultures all over the world. In West Africa, for example, traditional groundnut stew is often made with fish. In Southeast Asia, you can find the Indonesian sate lilit (skewers often made with fish meat and served with peanut sauce) and the Filipino kare-kare (peanut stew with brine shrimp paste). The combination of fish's saltiness and pungency pairs well with the creamy earthiness of peanuts, with the two ingredients lifting up each other's flavor profiles. A tuna and peanut butter sandwich is essentially the purest form of that partnership, with little else getting in between the pair.

If you're interested in making this sandwich for yourself, go with smooth peanut butter rather than chunky. The texture of peanut pieces doesn't necessarily clash with the bread and tuna, but a creamy mouthful is just more satisfying with this particular pairing. To fully appreciate the combination, try to go with an unsweetened peanut butter — this allows you to enjoy the richness of the peanut butter's fats and its natural sweetness as they both mingle with the briney flavors of the tuna. Check out this list with the best natural peanut butters on store shelves if you need recommendations.

You can go with any bread you prefer; the tang of sourdough pairs just as well with the peanut butter and tuna as the milkiness of a brioche does. You can, however, count it among the sandwiches that are definitely better toasted; it enhances the nutty flavors already present in your sandwich while introducing light notes of caramelization. The crunch of the bread also goes really well with the smoother textures of its fillings.

If you want to expand the sandwich's flavor profile, try adding ingredients that bring acid or heat to the picture. Pickled jalapeños are a great choice, since their spicy-sour character can brighten up the sandwich. Chili jams are also a good option, adding spice and earthiness to the mix without adding too much sugar.