Internal Garnishes

An external garnish is a piece of food served outside the sandwich rather than included inside it. Examples are a pickle spear placed on the plate next to the sandwich and an olive on a cocktail pick stuck into the top of the sandwich. Sometimes a side dish, such as coleslaw or potato chips, served on the plate along with the sandwich, is considered an external garnish.

An internal garnish is part of the sandwich and enclosed within the bread (except, of course, in open-face sandwiches made with a single bread slice]. In North America, the most common internal sandwich garnishes are lettuce leaves and tomato slices, although there are many others.