What Actually Makes Tea Sandwiches Unique?

Tiny and crustless, tea sandwiches play a central role in a traditional afternoon tea party. Their size — usually only two- or three-bites big – invite partygoers to sample a variety of sandwiches during the gathering. Given that items like croissants, finger cakes, and scones flank the sides of the party spread, you're unlikely to leave the table hungry even with such diminutive fare. However, it is important to remember to eat the savory stuff first. In other words, no eating the cookies before cucumbers. 

Although nearly any type of stuffing works inside this dainty little finger food, some flavors are more common on the tea party spread than others. Crustless cucumber sandwiches served on white bread are often synonymous with tea parties as are chicken or egg salad and smoked salmon. Other popular choices include shrimp or crab salad that's been freshened up with a slathering of softened cream cheese or mayo and a selection of meat and cheese sandwiches, like ham and Brie. Other less common options include asparagus and butter, country paté, and smoked turkey and apples. In general, the fillings are light and often feature only one or two ingredients, so keep it simple.

Finally, it's common to have mayo, butter, or cream cheese that covers the whole piece of bread all the way to the edge. The easiest way to achieve this is to make the sandwiches with crusts on. Cut the crusts off once the sandwiches are done, and you'll have condiments stretching from end to end on the bread. 

White bread is usually the bread of choice for these sandwiches, with fluffy milk bread and potato bread being particularly nice choices. However, some sandwich ingredients, such as shrimp or smoked salmon, taste better if they're paired with a dark bread like rye or pumpernickel. For variety, some gourmands also swap out the white bread for whole wheat. More than anything, however, the sandwiches are meant to be refreshing and that means using the freshest ingredients, including whatever loaf you select.

Regardless of what the sandwiches are filled with, if they're made correctly, they're delicate and elegant right down to the tiny, chopped bits of salad stuffing that goes inside of them. The morsels of egg, chicken, shrimp, and other ingredients are minced until most of the pieces are practically microscopic. This prevents chunks of egg or tomato and the like from falling out of the sandwiches when you eat them.

Finally, there are also tricks for prepping the bread to make the edges of the sandwiches look daintier and cleaner. Freezing the bread ahead of time facilitates ease of cutting and is the best way to ensure that your knife slices all the way through the bread. And speaking of cutting the bread, while many people make simple square- or rectangular-shaped sandwiches, you can also use cookie or biscuit cutters to make the sandwiches into other shapes, like circles, triangles, stars, or flowers, too. This adds a magical element to the party that most of your guests haven't seen since they first saw "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" on the big screen.