{{italic title}} {{short description|Belgian sandwich}} {{dmy|date=July 2020}} {{Excessive citations|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox food | name = ''Mitraillette'' | image = Mitraillette (fast food).jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = A ''mitraillette'' | alternate_name = ''Américain''<ref name="NVM"/><ref name="Culture"/> | country = Belgium<ref name="NVM"/> | region = Brussels | creator = | course = fast food | type = Sandwich | served = hot (filling) <br/> room temperature/ warmed (baguette) | main_ingredient = Bread, meat, fries, various sauces | variations = | calories = | other = }} A '''''mitraillette''''' ({{IPA|fr|mitʁajɛt}}, {{Literal translation|submachine gun}}) is a type of sandwich in Belgium commonly served at friteries and cafés.<ref name="APfries">{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-D9DSMR100.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041637/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-D9DSMR100.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2015 |publisher=Associated Press |first=Leslie |last=Patton |title=Belgium's Dutch and French-speakers unite on fries |date=15 February 2010 |access-date=22 April 2015 |url-access=}}</ref><ref name="westword">{{cite web|url=http://www.westword.com/restaurants/mowed-down-by-the-mitraillette-sandwich-at-manneken-frites-6046323|title=Mowed down by the mitraillette sandwich at manneken frites|work=Westword|date=9 October 2014|access-date=16 September 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2015 |last=Antonation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803231313/http://www.westword.com/restaurants/mowed-down-by-the-mitraillette-sandwich-at-manneken-frites-6046323 |url-status=live |first=Mark}}</ref><ref name="DCEater">{{cite web|url=http://dc.eater.com/2015/9/9/9295975/early-word-the-airedale-in-columbia-heights-dc |title=The Early Word on The Airedale in Columbia Heights|access-date=16 September 2015|work=[eater.com]|first=Meredith|last=Bethune |date=9 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916142943/http://dc.eater.com/2015/9/9/9295975/early-word-the-airedale-in-columbia-heights-dc |archive-date=16 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=23 February 2012 |access-date=29 September 2016 |via=Newspapers.com |title=In Belgium with Craig LeBan |last=LeBan |first=Craig |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/199397423}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|archive-date=2022-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531172113/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/belgium-on-a-budget |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/belgium-on-a-budget|title=10 ways to experience Belgium on a budget |website=Lonely Planet|url-status=live}}</ref> It is popular among students.<ref name="DHnet">{{cite web |url=http://www.dhnet.be/regions/bruxelles/visiter-bruxelles-sous-un-autre-angle-581662f3cd70958a9d5a407f |first=Sarah |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103135559/http://www.dhnet.be/regions/bruxelles/visiter-bruxelles-sous-un-autre-angle-581662f3cd70958a9d5a407f |access-date=3 November 2016 |last=Nuyens |archive-date=3 November 2016 |url-status=live |date=31 October 2016 |work=DHnet.be |title=Visiter Bruxelles sous un autre angle |language=fr |trans-title=See Brussels from a different angle}}</ref>
It is thought to have originated in Brussels, but is also popular in Flanders, Wallonia, and the Nord region of France, where it is also known as an "''Américain''" (literally an "American").<ref name="NVM">{{cite web|first=Jamel|last=Daugherty|url=http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/gut-check/2010/07/02/the-american-sandwich/|title=The American Sandwich|publisher=Northern Virginia Magazine|date=2 July 2010|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132957/http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/gut-check/2010/07/02/the-american-sandwich/|archive-date=29 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="APImage">{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A2-285e5403-1cea-42ae-9065-4f2f6a5a9c10.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924043726/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A2-285e5403-1cea-42ae-9065-4f2f6a5a9c10.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2015 |first=Geert |last=Vanden Wijngaert|publisher=Associated Press |title=Belgium Fries Forever |date=15 February 2010 |access-date=22 April 2015 |url-access=}}</ref>
==Composition== A typical ''mitraillette'' consists of:<ref name="Culture">{{cite web |last=Van De Poel |first=Nana|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207190609/https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/belgian-food-explained-the-mitraillette/ |archive-date=7 December 2016 |work=TheCultureTrip.com |date=1 December 2016 |url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/belgian-food-explained-the-mitraillette/ |title=Belgian Food Explained, The Mitraillette |access-date=7 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="APfries"/><ref name="westword"/><ref name=Recipe1>{{cite web|last=Malhotra|first=Saira|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712212204/http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/recipe/la-mitraillette-belgian-machine-gun-sandwich-recipe|title=La Mitraillette (Belgian Machine Gun) Sandwich Recipe |url-status=dead |url=http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/recipe/la-mitraillette-belgian-machine-gun-sandwich-recipe |publisher=Marcus Samuelsson|access-date=11 March 2013|archive-date=12 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="WP">{{cite news |archive-date=24 September 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url-status=live|date=31 January 2010 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012803666.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041637/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-D9DSMR100.html|first=Teri |title=Your Vacation in Lights: Belgium's beer, chocolates and historical sites enliven Oakton couple's vacation |last=Housenger |access-date=9 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=18 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008201651/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-38768880.html|first=Maura |access-date=7 December 2015 |title=The Airedale scores, if you're a soccer fan or soft-serve aficionado |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-airedale-scores-if-youre-a-soccer-fan-or-soft-serve-aficionado/2015/09/17/e823bef0-5c9c-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Judkis |url-status=live |url-access= |archive-date=8 October 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|archive-date=24 October 2015 |date=18 March 2015 |last=Schrerer |first=Josh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024040939/http://www.lamag.com/digestblog/future-nosh-l-a-needs-the-belgian-submachine-gun-sandwich/ |title=Future Nosh: L.A. Needs the Belgian "Submachine Gun" Sandwich |url=http://www.lamag.com/digestblog/future-nosh-l-a-needs-the-belgian-submachine-gun-sandwich/ |work=Los Angeles Magazine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=12 Best Sandwiches from around the World |first=Rachel |last=Hosie |access-date=13 June 2017 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/best-sandwiches-around-world-chip-butty-mitraillette-kaya-toast-banh-mi-a7744401.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220515/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/best-sandwiches-around-world-chip-butty-mitraillette-kaya-toast-banh-mi-a7744401.html |archive-date=2022-05-15 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |date=19 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Speer |first=Christine |title=Ale & Hearty |work=Indianapolis Monthly |year=2005 |volume=28 |issue=14 |pages=278–280 |id={{EBSCOhost|dbcode=f6h|17739222}} }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620162652/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/06/20/have-no-fear-your-famous-belgian-fries-are-safe-from-any-ban-eu-tells-belgium.html |archive-date=2017-06-20 |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/06/20/have-no-fear-your-famous-belgian-fries-are-safe-from-any-ban-eu-tells-belgium.html|title=Have no fear, your famous Belgian fries are safe from any ban, EU tells Belgium|date=June 20, 2017|website=thestar.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetakeout.com/17-carb-on-carb-sandwiches-that-understand-beauty-of-br-1848967654|archive-date=2022-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117000531/https://thetakeout.com/17-carb-on-carb-sandwiches-that-understand-beauty-of-br-1848967654/slides/10 |url-status=live|title=17 Carb-On-Carb Sandwiches That Understand the Beauty of Bread|date=May 27, 2022|website=The Takeout}}</ref> * Half a baguette (or sometimes a smaller version of a baguette). * Fries. * Fried meat (such as sausage, burger, or steak). The type of meat available varies with the friterie.<ref>{{Cite web|archive-date=2019-02-19|url-status=live|website=Eater NY|first=Robert|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219234318/https://ny.eater.com/2019/2/19/18203993/benelux-mitraillette-french-fries-sandwich |title=Behold a Rich Roast Pork Sandwich Overstuffed with Fries in Bushwick |url=https://ny.eater.com/2019/2/19/18203993/benelux-mitraillette-french-fries-sandwich |last=Sietsema|date=February 19, 2019}}</ref> * Sauce, such as mayonnaise, ketchup, sauce andalouse, garlic sauce, or bearnaise sauce.
Crudités may be included (grated carrot, fresh lettuce, tomato slices), as well as cheese<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daily Delivery Tour: Take a Bite of France with these Waimai Options|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512102155/https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2022/05/12/daily-delivery-tour-take-bite-france-these-waimai-options|date=May 12, 2022 |website=TheBeijinger.com |url=https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2022/05/12/daily-delivery-tour-take-bite-france-these-waimai-options |archive-date=2022-05-12}}</ref> and cabbage.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Musgrave |first=Sarah |date=21 July 2020 |title=Mitraillette takes comfort food to a new level |language=en |work=Montreal Gazette |publication-date=28 November 2012 |url=http://newspapers.com/clip/55800091/mitraillette-takes-comfort-food-to-a/ |access-date=2020-07-21 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La 1ère Mitraillette sur le Web! |url=http://www.frites.be/v4/index.cfm?context=article&ContentID=764 |publisher=Frites.be |access-date=11 March 2013 |date=10 October 1998 |first=Hugues |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004131717/http://www.frites.be/v4/index.cfm?context=article&ContentID=764 |archive-date=4 October 2008 |trans-title=The 1st Mitraillette on the Web! |language=fr |last=Henry}}</ref>
Originally ''mitraillettes'' contained only a sausage or sliced meat. Alternatives quickly became available.
==In popular culture== After the Brussels bombings in March 2016, images of the sandwich were shared across social media in Belgium and abroad as a sign of friendship and humour.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=8 November 2019 |archive-date=8 November 2019 |first1=Alan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108111116/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alanwhite/belgians-are-breaking-out-these-machine-guns-to-mock-terrori |first2=Adrien |last2=Sénécat |location=France |date=22 March 2016 |last1=White |url-status=live |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alanwhite/belgians-are-breaking-out-these-machine-guns-to-mock-terrori |website=BuzzFeedNews.com |title=Belgians Are Breaking Out These "Machine Guns" To Mock Terrorists}}</ref>
In December 2020, former ''Top Chef'' (France) contestant Jean-Philippe Watteyne opened a pop-up mitraillette restaurant in Mons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Un ancien candidat de Top Chef ouvre le premier restaurant de mitraillettes au monde |trans-title=Former 'Top Chef' Contestant Opens World's first Mitraillette Restaurant |url=https://sosoir.lesoir.be/un-ancien-candidat-de-top-chef-ouvre-le-premier-restaurant-de-mitraillettes-au-monde |access-date=2021-02-10 |website=So Soir |language=fr |archive-date=2021-02-10 |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20210210205741/http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://sosoir.lesoir.be/un-ancien-candidat-de-top-chef-ouvre-le-premier-restaurant-de-mitraillettes-au-monde |date=2020-10-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In November 2021, ''DH Les Sports +'' reported that a friterie in Etterbeek sells Belgium's longest mitraillette, measuring {{convert|130|cm|in}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dhnet.be/regions/bruxelles/la-plus-grande-mitraillette-de-belgique-est-etterbeekoise-les-gens-viennent-de-tres-loin-assure-le-jeune-frituriste-bruxellois-6197c5007b50a648b2d63060|title=La plus grande mitraillette de Belgique est etterbeekoise! "Les gens viennent de très loin", assure le jeune frituriste bruxellois|first=Ro. |last=Ma. |date=November 20, 2021|website=DH Les Sports + |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-01-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120073432/https://www.dhnet.be/regions/bruxelles/la-plus-grande-mitraillette-de-belgique-est-etterbeekoise-les-gens-viennent-de-tres-loin-assure-le-jeune-frituriste-bruxellois-6197c5007b50a648b2d63060 |trans-title=Belgium's biggest mitraillette is from Etterbeek! "People come from afar", swears the young Brussels chipper". |lang=fr |archive-date=2021-11-20}}</ref>
In 2025, BetUS.com reported extended queues for a AUS$27 (€{{To EUR|27|Australia}}) steak mitraillette at the Australian Open.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-22 |title=There's a $27 Sandwich Taking Over the Australian Open |url=https://www.betus.com.pa/locker-room-raw/more-sports/theres-a-27-sandwich-taking-over-the-australian-open-1-22-2025/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122203616/https://www.betus.com.pa/locker-room-raw/more-sports/theres-a-27-sandwich-taking-over-the-australian-open-1-22-2025/ |archive-date=2025-01-22 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=BetUS.com}}</ref>
==See also== * List of sandwiches * Chip butty, the English equivalent * Gatsby (sandwich), a South African equivalent to the mitraillette * French tacos, a French fast-food item containing similar ingredients wrapped in a flour tortilla * Horseshoe sandwich, a ground beef and fries sandwich from the U.S. state of Illinois * Chopped cheese, sloppy joe, and roti john, select examples of ground beef sandwiches
{{Portal bar|Belgium}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{commons category|Mitraillette}}
{{Sandwiches}}{{Potato dishes}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Belgian sandwiches Category:French sandwiches Category:Fast food Category:French fries