National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

Cheese on toast is ancient, Romans, medieval Europeans, early colonists all made versions. But the specifically American "grilled cheese" buttered bread, sliced cheese, cooked on a flat-top or in a pan, emerged during the 1920s-1930s, when three things converged: pre-sliced bread (Wonder Bread, 1921), affordable processed cheese (Kraft, 1916), and Depression-era economic pressure to make cheap, filling meals. A grilled cheese cost pennies and fed a family.

During World War II, Navy cooks were served "American cheese filling sandwiches" as a budget-friendly menu staple. Sailors came home, told their wives, and the sandwich entered the national home kitchen. 1940s and 50s cookbooks called it "toasted cheese" or "melted cheese sandwich." The term "grilled cheese" doesn't appear in print until the 1960s, when it replaced the older names almost overnight.

The pairing with tomato soup is also specifically American. Campbell's Tomato Soup was introduced in 1897, was universally popular by the 1920s, and somehow became the national companion to grilled cheese. School cafeterias across America served the combination at Friday lunch for most of the 20th century, which is why it still carries nostalgia weight for pretty much anyone over 30.

Today, Americans eat roughly 2 billion grilled cheeses a year. The sandwich has gone from Depression necessity to Instagram darling, dedicated grilled-cheese food trucks, restaurants (The Melt, Cheesie's, Grilled Cheeserie), cookbooks. National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day on April 12 is an informal but widely-observed holiday. Most of the country will eat one without knowing the date. Today, do it on purpose.

Four rules for grilled cheese perfection:

Same base, different personalities. Six American variations worth seeking out: