 | |
| Alternative names | Cuban mix, Cuban pressed sandwich, Cubano,mixto |
|---|---|
| Type | Sandwich |
| Place of origin | Florida, USA |
| Associatedcuisine | Cuban-American |
| Main ingredients | Cuban bread,ham,roasted pork,Swiss cheese,pickles,mustard |
| Variations | Salami in Tampa, no salami in South Florida Lettuce, tomatoes, & mayonnaise in Key West |
ACuban sandwich (Spanish:Sándwich cubano) is a variation of aham and cheese sandwich that likely originated before the turn of the 20th century in cafes catering to Cuban workers inTampa[1][2] orKey West,[3] two early Cuban immigrant communities inFlorida centered on thecigar industry. Later on, Cuban exiles and expatriates brought it toMiami,[2] where it is also very popular. The sandwich is made withham,roast pork,Swiss cheese,pickles,mustard, and sometimessalami onCuban bread.[1][4][5][6][7] Salami is included in Tampa, but is not usually included in South Florida.[8][9][10]
The Cuban sandwich is at the center of a long-running friendly rivalry between Miami and Tampa.[11] As part of that rivalry, the "Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich" was designated the "signature sandwich of the city of Tampa" by theTampa City Council in 2012.[10]
As withCuban bread, the origin of the Cuban sandwich (sometimes called a "Cuban mix," a "mixto," a "Cuban pressed sandwich," or a "Cubano"[12]) is murky.[13][14] In the late 1800s and early 1900s, travel between Cuba and Florida was easy, especially fromKey West andTampa, and Cubans frequently sailed back and forth for employment, pleasure, and family visits. Because of this constant and largely undocumented movement of people, culture and ideas, it is impossible to say exactly when or where the Cuban sandwich originated.[7][9]
Some believe that the sandwich became a lunch staple for workers in both the cigar factories andsugar mills of Cuba (especially in big cities such asHavana andSantiago de Cuba) and the cigar factories of Key West by the 1860s.[3] Historian Loy Glenn Westfall states that the sandwich was "born in Cuba and educated in Key West."[3]
The cigar industry in Florida shifted to Tampa in the mid-1880s, when the immigrant community ofYbor City was founded by cigar manufacturerVicente Martinez-Ybor. Tens of thousands of Cuban, Spanish, and Italian workers moved to the area over following decades, jumpstarting Tampa's growth from a village to a bustling city. The earliest recorded mentions of a distinct Cuban sandwich come from descriptions of workers' cafés inYbor City and nearbyWest Tampa from around 1900, leading some historians to theorize that the sandwich as now constituted first appeared there.[15][16][17][18][19][20] A travel article published by theMason City Globe Gazette in 1934 said that Tampa's cooking was "much more distinctive than elsewhere in the state" and lists Cuban sandwiches (along with Cuban bread) among the city's "signature foods".[21] ResearcherAndrew Huse states that "the old 'mixtos' coalesced into something more distinct – the Cuban sandwiches we know and love – an original Tampa creation."[7]
By the 1960s, Cuban sandwiches were also common on Miami cafeteria and restaurant menus, as the city had gained a large influx of Cuban residents afterFidel Castro's 1959rise to power in their native land.[20] The Communist Revolution caused a wave of Cuban expatriates to settle in other locations as well, and they brought their culture and cuisine with them. Cuban sandwiches and variations thereof are now served in variousCuban exile communities in places such as New York City,New Jersey, Chicago, andPuerto Rico, among others.[13]
Although there is some debate as to the contents of a "true" Cuban sandwich, most are generally agreed upon. The traditional Cuban sandwich starts withCuban bread. The loaf is sliced into lengths of 8–12 inches (20–30 cm), lightly buttered or brushed with olive oil on the crust, and cut in half horizontally. A coat ofyellow mustard is spread on the bread and the meats are added in layers:roast pork (Pernil or sometimes marinated inmojo),[9]glazed ham, andsalami.Swiss cheese and thinly sliceddill pickles complete the traditional ingredients.[13]
Once assembled, a Cuban sandwich can be toasted in a sandwich press called aplancha, which is similar to apanini press but without grooved surfaces.[12] Theplancha both heats and compresses the sandwich, which remains in the press until the bread surface is slightly crispy and the cheese has begun to melt.[22] It is usually cut into diagonal halves before serving.
The main regional disagreement regarding the Cuban sandwich involves salami, and its inclusion or lack thereof is a major point of contention in the Tampa-Miami Cuban sandwich rivalry.[23][11] While salami is not added to aSouth Florida Cuban sandwich, in Tampa,Genoa salami is traditionally layered with the other meats, probably due to the influence ofItalian immigrants who lived side by side with Cubans andSpaniards in Ybor City at the beginning of the 20th century.[16][1][24][22] Tampa's recipe has been consistent for decades; a 1934 travel article described a Tampa Cuban sandwich as a "complete meal" consisting of ham, lean pork, Swiss cheese, soft salami, dill pickle and a "liberal moistening of mustard" served on "very crisp and crusty" Cuban bread.[21] Three years later, an advertisement for a locallunch counter in theMiami Herald also listed salami among the ingredients in its Cuban sandwich.[25] The same ingredients were reiterated twenty-seven years later in the first and all subsequent editions ofThe Gasparilla Cookbook (1961), a still-popular collection of Tampa cuisine.[26] Another regional variation involvesmayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato. These additions are frowned upon by most traditionalists in Tampa and Miami, but are usually included in the "Cuban mix" variant popular in Key West.[7][12][13][24][22][23][27][1]
The Florida-based grocery chainPublix sells both ready-made Cuban sandwiches to go and hot pressed Cuban sandwiches made to order in their delis. The Publix deli recipe uses Boar's Head brand ham and pork unless otherwise specified along withFrench bread rather than traditional Cuban bread. This Cuban variation is consistently one of Publix's bestselling sandwiches in its Florida stores.[28]
The Cuban sandwich is at the center of a long-running semi-serious rivalry between Tampa and Miami, with various community leaders claiming to be home of the best.[29][30] The debate has been covered by several national and international news outlets,[11][31][32] and a related content dispute on the English Wikipedia article about the sandwich was the subject of a 2007 column in theTampa Tribune.[16]
During a 2012 flare-up of the debate, theTampa City Council voted to name the "Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich" as the city's official "signature sandwich", leading to several more rounds of banter between public figures in Tampa and Miami.[10][33][34][14]
A similar sandwich is themedianoche ("midnight") sandwich; as the name suggests, the sandwich originated as a late-night snack, likely in the night clubs of Havana. The medianoche contains the same ingredients as the Cuban sandwich, but is smaller and, unlike a Cuban, is served on yellow-colored egg bread (similar tochallah), which is softer and sweeter than Cuban bread.[39][40][41]
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