Croque Monsieurs and Other Ways the World Makes Grilled Cheese

Layers of cheese melted between two slices of bread -- a simple idea with a worldwide reputation. The grilled cheese sandwich is beloved by many cultures around the world, made with different types of bread and cheese and some with additional ingredients.

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It was first widely eaten in the United States as a cheap meal during the Great Depression, when money was low and cheese and bread were some of the least expensive food items. During World War II, grilled cheese was a common snack served in the military, and U.S. government cookbooks from the time describe grilled cheese as "American cheese filling sandwiches." Now, we eat grilled cheese as a late-night snack, as a gourmet sandwich in restaurants, and really any time we feel like it.

Around the world, the grilled cheese sandwich goes by other names. The French equivalent, a Croque Monsieur, is made by melting Gruyère cheese over a ham sandwich as well as inside of it. A Croque Madame is the same but with a fried egg on top. In South America, the traditional arepa becomes a cheese arepa when cheese is melted in the middle or baked into the dough. For Australians, there's nothing simpler or tastier than a vegemite grilled cheese sandwich with melted cheese on one side and vegemite on the other.

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-Haley Willard, The Daily Meal

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