It is National Grilled Cheese Month. The month where we celebrate a staple food in America consisting of two slices of buttered bread and a slice of cheese. When cooking a grilled cheese, little thought is probably given to anything but eating the sandwich. In reality, the sandwich has quite a history throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

The exact moment when the grilled cheese was created is unknown. In fact, many different cultures claim to have created this simple, yet delicious sandwich. However, the origin of this sandwich could possibly be traced back to the Roman Empire where a similar recipe was found in the ancient cookbooks. It has also been said that the grilled cheese is a twist of a famous French sandwich, the Croque Monsieur, which is a sandwich containing Dijon mustard, ham and gruyere cheese fried in butter.

The grilled cheese, originally known as ‘toasted’ or ‘melted’ cheese, didn’t make a prominent appearance in the United States until the 1920s. The inexpensive ingredients made for a filling meal that would provide nutrition and would feed a family for a small cost. Originally the sandwich was served open faced, but the second slice of bread was added during the Great Depression to make the sandwich more filling while stretching the family income. The grilled cheese as we know it is usually grilled in a frying pan on the stove, but it can also been prepared in a hot oven, broiled, sauteed or even on a waffle iron.

The grilled cheese is a staple food in the American diet and has become an item of pop culture in our nation. In 2004, a casino purchased a grilled cheese sandwich for an astonishing $28,000. It was claimed that the grill mark on the preserved sandwich resembled the image of the Virgin Mary.

The idea of an image grilled onto the cheese sandwich even made its way onto the popular TV show “Glee” in an episode called “Grilled Cheesus,” where the actors believe they see an image of Jesus on the sandwich. There is even a world championship for eating grilled cheese sandwiches. The most recent winner won $3,500 for eating 25 sandwiches in 10 minutes.

Now that you know the history of the grilled cheese, you can appreciate it a little more. Check out some of our unique grilled cheese recipes and try one today.