Who Invented the PB&J?

Peanut butter and jelly is one of the most American combos one can think of. The sandwich has been gradually immortalized over time, but the first written mention of the concoction appears in a 1901 recipe written by Julia Davis Chandler. 

The youth of America, who loved the sweetness, immediately jumped on the sandwich. It became a staple in lunches all across the United States, and a symbol of the brown bag lunch era.  Peanut butter was considered a delicacy at the time, and it was not uncommon to find it in the finest tea houses in New York. At Ye Olde English Coffee House, one could order a “peanut butter and pimento sandwich,” while Vanity Fair sold peanut butter with watercress. At the colonial room, one could order peanut butter spread on triangles of toast and soda crackers. 

As the price of peanut butter fell, the sandwich became a more common occurrence. Sugar was added to appeal to children, another reason why peanut butter never fully recovered its delicacy status. Peanut butter sandwiches officially became cultural commonplace when Gustav Papendick invented and patented a process to slice and wrap bread. 

After that momentous accomplishment, the 1920s saw parents lobbying school boards to bring peanut butter into the school lunch room. Being that the substance was cheap and filling, the sandwich quickly became a centerpiece of school lunches throughout the roaring twenties and Great Depression.