Cucumber sandwiches sound very simple, but they are wonderfully refreshing and, if properly made, truly delicious.
Oscar Wilde makes much of them in his comedy of manners The Importance of Being Earnest. At the start of the play Algernon and his friend Jack are waiting for the arrival of Algernon’s aunt, Lady Bracknell. The butler, Lane, has prepared a plate of cucumber sandwiches, and as he waits, Algernon scoffs the lot. When Lady Bracknell arrives, and she is particularly fond of cucumber sandwiches, Algernon has Lane fib and assert that there were no cucumbers to be had at the market that day, “not even for ready money”.
When making cucumber sandwiches, it is a matter of vital importance to get the ingredients right – fresh and soft white bread (so thinly sliced that one should be able to see daylight through the pores of the bread), the very best butter (ensuring that the bread is buttered all the way to the edges), a little salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and flavoursome cucumbers.
If you retain some of the skin, you get a delightful glimpse of green within each sandwich. The cucumber must be sliced very thinly, and the sandwiches should be sliced into fingers. They should be made only minutes before serving, so that the bread has no chance of getting damp.
Oscar Wilde’s character Lane obviously prepared his platter of sandwiches too early, allowing Algernon Moncrieff to eat them all before his guest arrived. Had they not been eaten, they might well have been getting soggy by the time Aunt Augusta got to eat them.
The sandwich originated in the UK. It has made regular appearances at afternoon teas during breaks in cricket matches (as a result of cricket, cucumber sandwiches became popular in India, where green chutney was usually added). They were considered appropriate delicacies to offer visiting clergy. Today they are often served at Buckingham Palace Garden Parties.
However, there are now various American variations. Americans often add cream cheese, mayonnaise and even minced garlic or salmon. A touch of lemon juice can add some zest, and finely sliced dill or chives can add texture and more greenery. It is always best to remove the crusts from the bread. It can be very lightly toasted, but I’m sure Lady Bracknell would not approve of that.
Cucumber sandwiches really make the perfect accompaniment to a summer afternoon tea. Here’s some dialogue from the play for you to enjoy as you indulge in your own cucumber sandwiches and the image shows Michael Denison as Algernon and Michael Redgrave as Jack in the 1952 Javelin Films production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
Jack: Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young? Who is coming to tea?
Algernon: Oh! merely Aunt Augusta and Gwendolen.
Jack: How perfectly delightful! …
Algernon: –[Jack puts out his hand to take a sandwich. Algernon at once interferes.] Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta. [Takes one and eats it.]
Jack: Well, you have been eating them all the time.
Algernon: That is quite a different matter. She is my aunt. [Takes plate from below.] Have some bread and butter…
and later
Lady Bracknell: … And now I’ll have a cup of tea, and one of those nice cucumber sandwiches you promised me.
Algernon: Certainly,
Aunt Augusta: (Goes over to tea-table.) . . . (picking up empty plate in horror). Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially…
Oscar Wilde, in his greatest play, wonderfully pairs the unbridled appetite of his bachelor hero with his general lack of self-discipline and hopeless handling of finances. Through food, Wilde mocks the Victorian virtue of self-discipline. Food is used symbolically in the power conflicts of the play, and is connected with materialism, sex and domination. The sandwiches are intended for female characters, but they are gobbled up by a man who feels entitled to any property intended for women.
If you’d like all the detail of Cucumber Sandwiches and their mysteries, The Guardian has it covered in this article, How to make perfect cucumber sandwiches.
Selected links for relevant websites, books, movies, videos, and more. Some of these links lead to protected content on this website, learn more about that here.
The Guardian: How to make the perfect cucumber sandwiches
Food: Buckingham Palace Cucumber Sandwiches (featuring the Queen’s secret ingredient)
The Importance of Being Earnest, 1952 production, full movie
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Gutenberg: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Susannah Fullerton: Oscar Wilde’s final play is first staged
Susannah Fullerton: The Importance of Being Oscar: The Life and Works of Oscar Wilde