Grilled Cheese Fun Facts: Cheese sandwiches can be uncooked, or grilled so that the bread toasts and the cheese melts (a dish referred to as a grilled cheese sandwich or simply grilled cheese). A grilled cheese is often heated by placing the buttered slices of bread, with the cheese between the slices, on a frying pan or griddle.

Cheeses that are grilled by themselves, include:

Halloumi

Saganaki

Leipäjuusto

September 3rd is National Grilled Cheese Day.

April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month.

April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.

Man has combined bread with cheese for centuries. Some scholars point to Roman cookbooks that included combining bread and cheese at mealtimes. Some scholars speculate that it was in the 1920’s that someone came up with the idea to not only combine bread with cheese, but also to grill it as well.

U.S. government cookbooks describe Navy cooks broiling “American cheese filling sandwiches” during World War II.

The actual term “grilled cheese” doesn’t make an appearance in print until the 1960’s. Before then it was all “melted cheese” or “toasted cheese” sandwiches.

The most popular additions to a grilled cheese sandwich are bacon, ham and tomato.