The Murky Origins Of The Reuben's Sister Sandwich, The Rachel

Did you know the famous Reuben sandwich has a slightly sweeter sister? We all know the classic Reuben, made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on rye bread. It's a sandwich for people who like sharp and sour tastes, and it has a following with plenty of restaurants and delis claiming to make the best Reuben sandwich in America. But not everyone likes the Reuben's pickled, salty, briny flavor profile. And that's where the Rachel comes into the picture — a sandwich with a recipe so close to the Reuben, and with an origin that's equally as murky, it's no wonder they're considered siblings.

The Rachel is made on rye bread with Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, just like the Reuben, but it has coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. The Rachel also doesn't use corned beef, and is instead usually made with turkey, and sometimes chicken and other meats like pastrami. Both sandwiches are usually griddled or use toasted bread, and often served with a pickle spear and chips when you get them at a restaurant. Homemade versions also go with the same kinds of sides, pairing well with a bowl of roasted butternut squash soup and easy homemade chips. And just like the Reuben sandwich, it's difficult to nail down exactly who invented the Rachel.

The Rachel sandwich is definitely a variation on the Reuben, but when it was invented and by whom is very unclear. One theory is the sandwich was named after the iconic character Rachel (played by Jennifer Anniston) from the hit TV show "Friends," who orders a turkey, cranberry, and gravy sandwich in one episode. Perhaps that's a Thanksgiving take on a Reuben, but the theory gets thin when you consider the Rachel sandwich doesn't have anything to do with cranberries or gravy. Plus, there is some documentation of a sandwich called the Rachel since at least the 1930s — much longer than "Friends" has been around.

It's likely that several versions of the Rachel sprung up as natural variations on the original Reuben sandwich as it gained popularity in the United States. We'll probably never know exactly how the Reuben was born either — one story is that the Reuben was invented in New York while another says it came from Nebraska — and the same goes for the Rachel. By 1931, the Rachel was popular enough to be featured in the media, though. In September of that year, the Illinois State Journal published a recipe for Rachel sandwiches by Joseph Boggio of the Hotel Plaza in New York, with instructions to make the sandwich with buttered bread, mayonnaise, chopped celery, and "finely-chopped cold chicken" (via Barry Popik).