The roast beef sandwich commonly comprises bread, cold roast beef (either the leftovers from a homemade dinner or deli meat), lettuce and mustard, although it would not be uncommon to find horseradish, fresh/powdered chili pepper and even in some cases red onion.[1]

Some trace the origins of the modern (U.S. based) roast beef sandwich as far back as 1877, with the then little known "beefsteak toast" recipe: cold beef, bread and gravy dish.[2] In 1900, the dish was described by The Washington Post as "unattractive" and as "a tired ark in a gravy flood". The dish gained popularity in the coming years and by 1931, some critics even went as far as to describe it as "a true taste of South Dakota".[3]