Editing BLT (section)

==History==
Although its ingredients have existed for many years, there is little evidence of BLT sandwich recipes before 1900. In the ''1903 Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book'', a recipe for a [[club sandwich]] included bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and a slice of turkey sandwiched between two slices of bread.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gordon Curtis|first=Isabel|title=Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book|year=1903|publisher=Hearst Books |isbn=1-58816-210-9}}</ref> While the 1928 book ''Seven Hundred Sandwiches'' by [[Florence A. Cowles]] includes a section on bacon sandwiches, the recipes often include pickles and none contain tomato.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cowles|first=Florence|title=Seven Hundred Sandwiches|year=1928|publisher=Little, Brown & Company|location=New York|pages=31–35}}</ref>

The BLT became popular after [[World War II]] because of the rapid expansion of [[supermarket]]s, which made its ingredients available year-round. The initials, representing "bacon, lettuce, tomato", likely began in the U.S. restaurant industry as shorthand for the sandwich, but it is unclear when this transferred to the public consciousness.<ref name="Mariani">{{cite book|last=Mariani|first=John F.|title=The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00mari|url-access=registration|publisher=Lebhar Freidman|location=New York|year=1999|isbn=978-0867307849|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00mari/page/190 190]}}</ref> For example, a 1951 edition of the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' makes reference to the sandwich, although it does not use its initials, describing a scene in which: "On the tray, invariably, are a bowl of soup, a toasted sandwich of bacon, lettuce and tomato, and a chocolate milk shake."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Martin|first=Harold H.|title=Lightning Joe, the GI's General|journal=[[The Saturday Evening Post]]|date=27 January 1951|volume=223|page=21}}</ref>

A 1954 issue of ''[[Modern Hospital]]'' contains a meal suggestion that includes: "Bean Soup, Toasted Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, Pickles, Jellied Banana Salad, Cream Dressing, and Pound Cake."<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gBshAQAAMAAJ&q=%22bacon,+lettuce,+and+tomato%22|title=Modern Hospital|date=July 1954|journal=Modern Hospital|year=1954|volume=83|page=122}}</ref> By 1958, [[Hellmann's Mayonnaise]] advertised their product as "traditional on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches", suggesting that the combination had been around for some time.<ref>For example, see the version that ran in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine on 20 October 1958. {{cite book|title=Hellmann's Mayo Ad|date = 20 October 1958|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eT8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22bacon%2C+lettuce%2C+and+tomato%22&pg=PA156|access-date=25 March 2013}}</ref> However, there are several references to a "B.L.T." in the early 1970s, including in one review of [[Bruce Jay Friedman]]'s play entitled [[Steambath (play)|''Steambath'']] titled: "A B.L.T. for God – hold the mayo."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Prideaux|first=Tom|title=A B.L.T. for God – Hold the Mayo|magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|date=21 August 1970|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1UEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22a+BLT%22&pg=PA8|issn=0024-3019|access-date=25 March 2013}}</ref> The abbreviation used in title references a line of dialogue in the play in which God yells, "Send up a bacon and lettuce and tomato sandwich, hold the mayo. You burn the toast, I'll smite you down with my terrible swift sword."<ref>{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Bruce Jay|author-link=Bruce Jay Friedman|title=Steambath|title-link=Steambath (play)|year=1971|publisher=Knopf|location=New York|isbn=9780573615818}}</ref>

===Popularity===
As the sixth-most popular sandwich in the United States, it falls behind the [[ham sandwich]], {{cite news|url= https://today.yougov.com/consumer/articles/24609-whats-americas-favorite-sandwich|title= What's America's Favorite Sandwich? &#124; YouGov}} the roast beef sandwich, turkey sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich, and the grilled cheese sandwich. A 2008 poll by OnePoll showed that the BLT was the "nation's favourite" sandwich in the [[United Kingdom|UK]].<ref>{{cite news|title=BLT is named nation's favourite sandwich|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2008/10/27/blt-is-named-nation-s-favourite-sandwich-86908-20843360/|access-date=3 February 2011|newspaper=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|location=Glasgow|date=27 October 2008}}</ref> BLT sandwiches are popular especially in the summer,<ref name="Tutte">{{cite magazine|last=Tuttle|first=Brad|title=Is It Time to Start Stockpiling Bacon|url=https://business.time.com/2011/07/05/is-it-time-to-start-stockpiling-bacon/|access-date=28 November 2011|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=5 July 2011}}</ref> following the tomato harvest.<ref>{{cite news|last=McFerron|first=Whitney|title=Bacon Price Surge May Last Through August as Herd Cutbacks Tighten Supply|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-04/bacon-surge-may-last-through-august-as-u-s-hog-herd-cuts-tighten-supplies.html|access-date=28 November 2011|work=[[Bloomberg.com]]|date=4 August 2010}}</ref> In the United States, the BLT season is associated with an increase in the price of pork-bellies, which are processed into bacon.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mason|first1=Rowenna|last2=White|first2=Garry|title=Meat prices set to jump after wheat crop failures|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/marketreport/7946789/Meat-prices-set-to-jump-after-wheat-crop-failures.html|access-date=3 February 2011|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London|date=15 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206035129/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/marketreport/7946789/Meat-prices-set-to-jump-after-wheat-crop-failures.html|archive-date=6 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>