Let’s be honest with ourselves: Sandwiches are the perfect food. They provide a no-mess eating experience that can be easily customized to anyone’s tastes. All you need is a neutral frame, such as two slices of bread, and a filler, like a slice of ham, and you’re a participant in the greatest and most democratic culinary movement in the history of the world.

The first use of the term “sandwich” occurred in the late 18^th Century. It alludes to the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was allegedly more interested in playing cards than getting up for a proper meal, so he asked his valet to bring him some meat jammed between slices of bread. Of course, he wasn’t the first person to have thought of wrapping food in some kind of edible insulation. Flatbreads have been used for such a purpose for thousands of years around the world. But with industrialization and the need for fast, easy meals, sandwiches have become a staple everywhere over the past two centuries.

Here are some of our favorites from around the world.

Bahn mi from Vietnam

In Vietnam, bahn mi is the sandwich of choice. Bahn mi is actually the Vietnemese term for various types of bread, but in the Western world it usually implies the sandwich. Vietnam is known for having great bread, which was introduced in the country during the French colonial period. Often stuffed with pork, tofu, chicken, cilantro, cucumber, daikon, pickled carrots and any number of other items, bahn mi is a must-try sandwich.

Arepa from Colombia and Venezuela

In some countries, sandwiches are a street food mainstay. Arepas, popular in Colombia and Venezuela, are such an item. They are comprised of corn flour flatbread, often eaten or stuffed with with cheese, chorizo, eggs and many other items. In Venezuela they are often cut in half and eaten like a traditional sandwich.

Smoked Meat from Canada

Smoked meat sandwiches are the Canadian version of pastrami on rye, popular in the U.S. These things are huge in Montreal, and have been for over a hundred years. They feature cured beef brisket piled high on rye bread, usually with mustard. Really you can’t miss with that combo.

Open-faced sandwiches from Scandinavia

Open-faced sandwiches, in my opinion, are legitimately sandwiches only if you can eat them with your hands without making a big mess. I’m thinking of open-faced turkey “sandwiches” slathered with gravy that you have to eat with a knife and fork. Can they really be considered sandwiches? I don’t think so.

But the Northern European open-faced variety, especially popular in Denmark, where they’re known as smorrebrod, definitely qualify. They consist of a smattering of ingredients, typically laid out for guests to pick and choose what they want to add to their dark rye foundation. Options include various meats, cheeses, cured salmon, lettuce and other greens, cucumber, pickled herring, and much more. It’s a make-your-own scenario, so anything goes. That’s the beauty of the sandwich.

What your favorite sandwich from around the world? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter at @luvoinc.