Regional Stories Spotlight Buffets, Nostalgic School Lunch

The tuna bumstead, a 1950s sandwich served in some American homes and school cafeterias, combined canned tuna, cheese, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise, vegetables and pickles in a split hot dog bun, then was wrapped in foil and baked. Also called a bunstead, it drew sharply mixed reactions from students and remains a divisive retro take on the tuna melt. Its precise origins are unclear, though canned tuna’s growing popularity in the 1920s helped pave the way for new tuna dishes.