What might a sandwich reveal about someone Apparently, quite a bit particularly if said someone is a world superstar. From iconic musicians to Oscar-winning actors, countless stars have surprisingly ordinary (and occasionally very eccentric) favorite sandwiches that they just can’t live without. And the beauty of it? Most of them are simple enough to make at home.
These selections are not only about taste they’re tiny glimpses into the stars’ personalities and comfort food desires. They’re nostalgic childhood reminders for some, elegant updates on classics for others, and a few are simply wonderfully quirky. Here’s a rundown of the celebrity sandwich staples that could inspire your next meal.
1. Elvis Presley’s Sweet-and-Savory Icon
The King’s biggest food romance was not with fried chicken or barbecue it was with a peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich. Aka “The Elvis,” this pairing satisfies salty, sweet, and crunchy at the same time. Presley’s version, legend has it, was pan-fried to a golden brown, adding a rich, decadent twist. The sandwich became inextricable with his brand that it’s a Southern staple on menus today. For the deeply devoted, there’s also the famous Fool’s Gold Loaf a Denver-native giant featuring a pound of bacon, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of jelly that Presley allegedly flew across the country to consume.
2. Paul McCartney’s Layered Veggie Bagel
A vegetarian for more than 50 years, Paul McCartney’s go-to sandwich is as considerate as his tunes. He cuts a bagel into thirds and stacks marmite, lettuce, hummus, cheese, tomato, pickles, additional lettuce, and honey mustard. The thin layers of the bagel provide extra surface area for toppings, and the combination of tart, creamy, and crunchy makes it a plant-based powerhouse. McCartney demonstrated this technique while promoting “Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen,” showing that even a basic sandwich can be taken to the next level with a bit of ingenuity.
3. Nicole Kidman’s Cheese-and-Tomato Toastie
Nicole Kidman’s selection is the ultimate comfort food a cheese-and-tomato toastie, the Aussie relative of the grilled cheese. Prepared traditionally with pungent Cheddar and slices of fresh tomato, it’s toasted until golden-brown and the cheese melts into stringy heaven. Toasties are so popular in Australia that they can even be found on fast-food chains. Kidman’s choice proves that sometimes the most basic pairings gooey cheese, ripe tomato, buttery bread are the ones that become part of our hearts forever.
4. Anthony Bourdain’s Fried Mortadella & Provolone
Late culinary icon Anthony Bourdain was a master at elevating simple fare to heights of poetry, and his fried mortadella sandwich is a prime example. Mortadella, a cleaner, more sophisticated cousin to bologna, is pan-cooked until the outside is crispy, then finished with provolone, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise. The hot melts the cheese and burns the fat of the meat to what Bourdain once referred to as a “beloved heap of oozing awesomeness.” It’s a class in how five simple ingredients can pack big flavor.
5. Snoop Dogg’s OG Fried Bologna
Right out of his cookbook “From Crook to Cook,” Snoop Dogg’s OG Fried Bologna Sandwich is a viral comfort food sensation. His grown-up spin on the after-school treat sandwiches fried bologna slices with American cheese, barbecue chips, and yellow mustard between toasted white bread. The chips provide crunch, the mustard adds kick, and the entire operation taps into pure after-school-snack nostalgia. As Snoop himself would say, it’s a verified hood classic.
6. Emily Blunt’s Cubano with a Crunch
Emily Blunt’s go-to is the Cuban sandwich roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo, and a little something spicy pressed until warm and melty. She does, however, add a mischievous twist potato chips nestled in the middle for added crunch. It’s a subtle move that revolutionizes the texture, showing even a venerable old classic can stand to have its rules broken.
7. Meryl Streep’s Pastrami on Rye
When Stephen Colbert asked Meryl Streep for the greatest sandwich, she had no hesitation “Pastrami. on rye.” This classic New York deli is easy but robust, with peppery, smoky pastrami heaped high on rye bread, topped frequently with mustard. Having grown up in New Jersey and then lived in New York City, Streep must have had access to numerous permutations of this East Coast institution. It’s also the basis of the popular Reuben, if you want to get fancy.
8. Kate Winslet’s Sharp Cheddar Grilled Cheese
Kate Winslet plays it simple with a grilled cheese made with good sharp Cheddar, butter (not mayo), and crusts intact. Her low-key strategy highlights the elegance of executing the fundamentals well. The secret here lies in quality cheese and toasting right golden brown on the outside, melty within.
9. Ryan Gosling’s Ice Cream Sandwich
Let Ryan Gosling surprise us with the most unlikely response the ice cream sandwich. “You can have sandwiches from around the globe and it’d be a hard choice,” he said to Colbert, “but the ice cream sandwich wins out [and] your mind’s made up.” No matter if you do the classic vanilla between chocolate wafers or a gourmet iteration, Gosling’s selection is a reminder that happiness can be as easy as frozen treat between two cookies.
From decadent fried mortadella to simple cheese toasties, these celebrity favorites show that a sandwich can be both personal and iconic. They’re glimpses of taste, of nostalgia, and of personality evidence that even the most famous among us take comfort between two pieces of bread. And the best part? Each one is within the grasp of your own kitchen.
