I’m sure you’ve seen tons of tomato sandwiches on the internet lately. Each one promising to be the perfect sandwich. But are they really?

Where we come from, it’s called a “mater sammich”, and it’s made from five ingredients: Tomatoes, Bread, Mayonnaise, Salt and Pepper. Think of the tomato sandwich as you would champagne, or bourbon — sparkling wine or whiskey is just not the same if it’s not made in France or Kentucky. It’s the same way with the tomato sandwich. If it’s made above the Mason-Dixon line and strays away from these five components, it’s probably not a true tomato sandwich.

So what is the perfect tomato sandwich? It’s the above ingredients, perfected.

  • Tomato — Make it an homegrown tomato. If you don’t have access to homegrown, choose an heirloom tomato. Heirloom tomatoes are available at most grocery stores. They have that old fashioned tomato flavor that modern tomatoes just can’t touch.
  • BreadPotato bread is just the best! It’s soft & flavorful and compliments the tangy tomato, mayo, salt & pepper. And never, ever toast your bread when making a tomato sandwich!
  • Mayonnaise — It’s gotta be Duke’s Mayonnaise, or homemade.
  • Salt — Skip the standard table salt and even sea salt. Go for the Himalayan Pink salt. It’s oh so tasty with its natural minerals and trace elements. This is the secret ingredient that brings your mater sammich alive! Once you try Himalayan Pink salt, you’ll never go back, even on your regular foods.
  • Pepper — No self-respecting tomato sandwich chef would ever use store-bought pre-ground pepper. Go for freshly ground pepper from pepper corns. Ground fine or course, there’s no way to go wrong.

That’s it! Five ingredients perfected to make the best tasting and authentic tomato sandwich anywhere. And we won’t hold it against you if you’re not from the south.