Cannibal Sandwich (1889) ("hamburgers in the raw")

[Barry Popik]

OED has no entry for "cannibal sandwich," a somewhat popular item in
the early 1900s.

Of course, I re-checked NewspaperArchive for "Cannibal" + "Sandwiches"
(I'd found the item searching for "Beef" + "Sandwiches"), and didn't
find the 1891 article I'd just read in the other search results!
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3 January 1889, Baltimore (MD) Sun, supplement, pg. 2:
"The horrid thing," they both faintly gasped, and the German chorister
took his departure and his friend along, shaking out the delightful
aroma of cannibal sandwiches as he passed down the aisle.
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20 November 1899, Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, pg. 8:
The Saunterer felt ravenously hungry yesterday noon, and intimated as
much to a friend who was with him.

"Come lunch with me," promptly responded the latter. "I'll take you to
a place you've never been in before, and give you a meal that you've
never had before. And that meal will consist of one sandwich. COme
along."

And the Saunterer did. The other man led the way to a place in the
heart of the city, the entrance to which was on a side street. The
place looked eminently satisfying, and the Saunterer felt prepared for
anything.

"Bring us a couple of cannibal sandwiches," said the friend to the
waiter. "And don't put any onions in." It sounded rather guessable and
the Saunterer waited in apprehensive silence. Presently the waiter
returned with the sandwich. It consisted of two slices of bread about
nine inches long and five in width buttered a quarter of an inch
thick. One of the slices was covered by a half-inch layer of red meat
minced. Both started to eat, but after the Saunterer had gulped down
four mouthfuls through a face that was painful in its efforts to smile
he demanded emphatically to know what it was.

"Cannibal sandwich," answered his friend.

"I know that," was the answer.

"Well, it's made of raw beef, chopped very fine, and it's very good
for you. See,  they're eating them all around us." and they were, so
the Saunterer worked at his a little while longer. The sandwich fully
lived up to its reputation. For the Saunterer hasn't really felt
hungry since.
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(LIVE SEARCH BOOKS)
Canning and Preserving of Food Products with Bacteriological Technique
by Edward Wiley Duckwall · 1905 · 478 pages · 100% viewable
Many people eat uncooked meat in the so-called "cannibal sandwiches,"
smoked sturgeon and halibut, and m the same meal eat canned goods. If
poisoning results, too often the blame is fastened on them ...
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24 February 1907, Fort Worth (TX) Telegram, pg. 9:
Cannibal Sandwiches of Rye Bread. -- Put half a pound of raw beef thru
a meat chopper; add a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of red pepper and a
tablespoonful of onion juice. Spread this over buttered rye bread,
cover with another piece of bread and trim away the crusts.
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(GOOGLE BOOKS)
The Up-to-date Sandwich Book: 400 Ways to Make a Sandwich - Page 66
by Eva Greene Fuller - 1909 - 180 pages

CANNIBAL SANDWICH Chop raw beef and onions very fine, season with salt
and pepper, and spread on lightly buttered brown bread. MEAT AND
MUSHROOM SANDWICH ...
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(GOOGLE BOOKS)
Mental Adjustments - Page 79
by Frederic Lyman Wells - 1917 - 331 pages

... pair of white wings wid de sunny side up (poached eggs), cannibal
sandwich (beefsteak tartare), three diamond studs (portion of
Hamburger steak). ...
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(LIVE SEARCH BOOKS)
Handbook of Medical Treatment
by John Chalmers Da Costa · 1920 · 1024 pages · 100% viewable
Some r the juice of the raw meat and the raw scraped beef, which may
be given properly seasoned in the form of a cannibal sandwich, on thin
stale or toasted bread.
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(GOOGLE BOOKS)
The Edgewater Sandwich Book: With Chapters on Supremes, Hors D'oeuvres ...
by Arnold Shircliffe - 1930 - 260 pages

Page 120
Raw Beef Sandwich—II Cannibal Sandwich Spread thin slices of bread with finely
ground or chopped ... This is called tartar or cannibal sandwich at times. ...
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(GOOGLE BOOKS)
Outdoor Cooking - Page 370
by Cora Lovisa Brackett Brown, Rose Johnston Brown - 1940 - 506 pages

But lest we be led astray, it is well to remember that Cannibal Sandwiches are
naught but hamburgers in the raw, and when the onion is mixed in and the meat

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