Once food is chewed and mixed with saliva, the tongue pushes food into the esophagus. This is the only voluntary muscle contraction in the digestive process. After swallowing, involuntary muscles begin pushing the food through the esophagus into the stomach.
https://www.reference.com/science/food-travel-through-digestive-system-f44e11c8df0ec850
Quick Answer. Food begins its journey through the digestive system in the mouth, before being pushed by a series of involuntary muscle contractions through the esophagus, then the stomach, and then the small and large intestines.
https://www.reference.com/science/food-travel-through-digestive-system-f44e11c8df0ec850
Food is digested so that: the nutrients are small enough to enter the cell. The digestive system organs fall into two major groups: the _______ and the _______. Gastrointestinal (GI) tract; Accessory organs. The gastrointestinal tract is sometimes called the:
https://quizlet.com/41619215/18-digestive-system-lecture-questions-flash-cards/
Animal digestion begins in the mouth, then moves through the pharynx, into the esophagus, and then into the stomach and small intestine. Learning Objective. Key Points. Mechanical and chemical digestion begin in the mouth with the chewing of food and the release of saliva, which starts carbohydrate digestion.
https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/animal-nutrition-and-the-digestive-system-34/digestive-systems-195/digestive-system-mouth-and-stomach-749-11982/
In much of a digestive tract such as the human gastrointestinal tract, smooth muscle tissue contracts in sequence to produce a peristaltic wave, which propels a ball of food (called a bolus while in the esophagus and upper gastrointestinal tract and chyme in the stomach) along the tract.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peristalsis
They then come to a fork in the road: One pathway is the esophagus, which leads to the stomach, and the other follows the trachea, which leads to the lungs. Of course, the correct path is through the esophagus, but sometimes food can take a careless detour.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/digestive/digestive-system1.htm
After food is chewed into a bolus, it is swallowed and moved through the esophagus. Smooth muscles contract behind the bolus to prevent it from being squeezed back into the mouth. Then rhythmic, unidirectional waves of contractions work to rapidly force the food into the stomach. The migrating motor complex (MMC) helps trigger peristaltic waves.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peristalsis
So the sandwich pieces will normally slide into the esophagus through the upper esophageal sphincter, a ring-shaped muscle that opens only when food is swallowed. Once the sandwich is in the esophagus, involuntary muscle contractions -- or peristalses -- push it toward the stomach. At the end of the esophagus, the lower esophageal sphincter lets the food into the stomach. It opens and then quickly closes to keep the food from escaping back into the esophagus.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/digestive/digestive-system1.htm
Animal digestion begins in the mouth, then moves through the pharynx, into the esophagus, and then into the stomach and small intestine. Learning Objective. Describe the parts of the digestive system from the oral cavity through the stomach.
https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/animal-nutrition-and-the-digestive-system-34/digestive-systems-195/digestive-system-mouth-and-stomach-749-11982/
The esophagus is a tubular organ connecting the mouth to the stomach. The chewed and softened food passes through the esophagus after being swallowed. The smooth muscles of the esophagus undergo a series of wave like movements called peristalsis that push the food toward the stomach .
https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/animal-nutrition-and-the-digestive-system-34/digestive-systems-195/digestive-system-mouth-and-stomach-749-11982/
which process moves food through the esophagus?
The chewed and softened process moves food through the esophagus.  