The Cuban sandwich, also known as the cubano, is a popular meal in south Florida where many Cubans have settled since the early 20th century. These tasty, toasted Cuban sandwiches are definitely Tampa and Miami, Florida’s favorite snack. These treats can be found in most restaurants in these cities, but the best places to buy them are from the street corner-snack bars, called loncherias.
The sandwiches have a submarine-style layering of ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickle between a sliced length of Cuban bread. The key to a great, versus a good, Cuban Sandwich lies in the grilling. A great Cuban sandwich is grilled in a sandwich press (called a plancha) until the ham, pork, and pickles have warmed and fused into a delectable and compact treat).
Some facts about the Cuban Sandwich:
- While it’s called a “Cuban” sandwich after the Cuban immigrants who settled in early Ybor City and influenced the sandwich the most, the ingredients are also a nod to the southern Italian bricklayers and the German cigar workers who also immigrated there.
- Salami was added via the Italian bricklayers, who found that placing a hot brick on top of the sandwich for a few minutes pressed it flat and made it taste better.
- Mustard was a condiment flavor preferred by the Germans. It also didn’t spoil in the Florida heat. That’s why there’s no mayo on a traditional Cubano – refrigeration was scarce in Tampa in the early 20th century.
- Tampa and Miami have enjoyed a rivalry over ownership of the Cuban sandwich, though Miami-style Cuban sandwiches are made without the traditional salami. Miami Cuban sandwich connoisseurs say that the salami is blasphemous.
- By the 1970s, the Cuban sandwich had spread to menus around the U.S., but in 2015, the Cuban Sandwich Factory opened in Belfast, Ireland, and in 2016, the Tampa Cuban Sandwich Bar opened in Seoul, Korea.
- The annual Cuban Sandwich Festival in Ybor City attracts competitors from around the U.S. In 2015, participating restaurants joined forces to make a 105-foot-long Cuban sandwich, the world’s longest.
- In 2012, the Tampa City Council and Mayor Bob Buckhorn passed a resolution making the Cuban sandwich the city’s official sandwich.
Click the link below for the recipe!
foodology 