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WHETHER you thought the sandwich was the eponymous invention of an English aristocrat or an all-American phenomenon, think again: The whole world eats bread and what's between it.

There are lots of different kinds of sandwiches in the world, and many of them are very adaptable to our culture, says Scott Robertson, executive chef of Grafton Street, a bar and grill in busy Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. In addition to the usual burger and French dip, Robertson’s menu includes chicken pesto panini, a twice-pressed Cuban, a vegetarian toasted-chickpea burger and such specials as a chacarero, based on the traditional Chilean sandwich filled with such ingredients as green beans and avocado, plus or minus meat.

A chacarero is a person who owns a small plot of land and plants all kinds of things on it so he can feed himself and his family, says Robertson, who grew up in a Spanish neighborhood in Boston and has traveled extensively in Central and South American.

It's a traditional street food in Chile, but you see it all over South America, made with whatever vegetables are in season and whatever kind of meat the vendor can get.

Robertson often makes his chacarero with chicken, flank steak or lamb, seasoned with spices like coriander, cumin, garlic, lime juice and olive oil, then roasted or grilled and served on a crusty round roll with green beans, avocado, tomato and house-made chimichurri mayo.

We'll serve about 100 of these a day when we have it on the menu, lunch and dinner, says Robertson.

Another Latin classic is the Cuban, which he sometimes makes with carnitas rather than the traditional sliced pork.

I marinate the meat in orange juice, molasses, garlic and lots of onions, then roast it for hours until it’s tender, he says.

The meat is pulled, layered on a torpedo roll with sliced ham and Gruyère and baked, open, until the cheese melts. The sandwich is then dressed with chipotle-spiked aïoli, red onions, dill pickles and cilantro, closed up, pressed and griddled for two minutes.

The two-step cooking process is important: If you just do it in the pan, the outside burns and the inside doesn't heat up, explains Robertson.

Also important is the right bread; traditional Cuban-style French bread has a light crust and is soft inside, ensuring proper response to the pressing.

Perhaps the most popular globally inspired sandwich on Grafton Street's menu, however, is the Middle-Eastern-style toasted-chickpea burger, a house-made blend of cooked chickpeas, tahini and lots of caramelized onion, seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary and cilantro. The mixture is stiffened with enough panko crumbs to give it structure, then formed into a patty and pan-fried to order. Served on grilled naan bread with cucumber-and-yogurt tzatziki, it’s a great vegetarian option, says Robertson, “and we sell a ton of them.”