Cuban sandwich facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Cuban mix, Cuban pressed sandwich, Cubano, mixto |
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| Type | Sandwich |
| Place of origin | US / Florida |
| 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 |
A Cuban sandwich (called Sándwich cubano in Spanish) is a tasty type of ham and cheese sandwich. It probably started in cafes where Cuban workers ate in Tampa or Key West. These cities in Florida were early homes for Cuban immigrants. They worked in the cigar industry. Later, Cubans who moved from their home country brought the sandwich to Miami. It is very popular there too.
The sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. It is served on special Cuban bread. Sometimes, salami is added. In Tampa, salami is often included because many Italian people live there. But in South Florida, salami is usually not part of the sandwich. The Cuban sandwich is part of a fun, friendly competition between Miami and Tampa. In 2012, Tampa named the "Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich" its official city sandwich.
Contents
History of the Cuban Sandwich
Just like Cuban bread, the exact start of the Cuban sandwich is a bit of a mystery. It's also called a "Cuban mix," a "mixto," a "Cuban pressed sandwich," or a "Cubano." In the late 1800s and early 1900s, people traveled easily between Cuba and Florida. This was especially true for Key West and Tampa. Cubans often sailed back and forth for jobs, fun, and family visits. Because people moved so much, it's hard to say exactly when or where the Cuban sandwich first appeared.
Some people think the sandwich was a common lunch for workers. This was true in cigar factories and sugar mills in Cuba. It was also common in cigar factories in Key West by the 1860s. Historian Loy Glenn Westfall says the sandwich was "born in Cuba and educated in Key West."
The cigar business in Florida moved to Tampa in the mid-1880s. This happened when Ybor City was founded by cigar maker Vicente Martinez-Ybor. Many thousands of Cuban, Spanish, and Italian workers moved there. This helped Tampa grow from a small village into a busy city. The first times the Cuban sandwich was written about were around 1900. These writings described workers' cafes in Ybor City and nearby West Tampa. This makes some historians think the sandwich, as we know it, first appeared there. A travel article from 1934 said Tampa's food was "much more distinctive." It listed Cuban sandwiches as one of the city's "signature foods." Researcher Andrew Huse believes the old "mixtos" became the Cuban sandwiches we love today. He calls it an "original Tampa creation."
By the 1960s, Cuban sandwiches were also common in Miami. This was because many Cubans moved there after Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959. This event caused many Cubans to move to other places. They brought their culture and food with them. Today, Cuban sandwiches are served in many Cuban communities. You can find them in New York City, New Jersey, Chicago, and Puerto Rico.
What's in a Cuban Sandwich?
There's some friendly debate about what makes a "true" Cuban sandwich. But most people agree on the main ingredients. A traditional Cuban sandwich starts with Cuban bread. The bread is cut into pieces about 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) long. It's lightly buttered or brushed with olive oil on the outside. Then, it's cut in half lengthwise.
A layer of yellow mustard is spread on the bread. Then the meats are added in layers. These include roast pork (sometimes marinated in a special sauce called mojo), glazed ham, and salami. Swiss cheese and thin slices of dill pickle complete the traditional sandwich.
Once all the ingredients are in place, the sandwich is toasted. This is done in a special sandwich press called a plancha. It's like a panini press but has flat surfaces. The plancha heats and presses the sandwich. It stays in the press until the bread is a bit crispy. The cheese also starts to melt. The sandwich is usually cut into two diagonal halves before it's served.
Different Styles of Cuban Sandwiches
The biggest difference in Cuban sandwiches is about salami. Whether it's included or not is a main point of the Tampa-Miami rivalry. In South Florida, salami is not usually added. But in Tampa, Genoa salami is traditionally layered with the other meats. This is probably because of the Italian immigrants who lived with Cubans and Spaniards in Ybor City long ago.
Tampa's recipe has been the same for many years. A 1934 article described a Tampa Cuban sandwich. It called it a "complete meal" with ham, lean pork, Swiss cheese, soft salami, dill pickle, and lots of mustard. It was served on "very crisp and crusty" Cuban bread. These ingredients were also listed in The Gasparilla Cookbook (1961). This cookbook is still popular in Tampa.
Another difference involves mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato. Most people in Tampa and Miami who like traditional Cuban sandwiches don't like these additions. But they are usually included in the "Cuban mix" version popular in Key West.
Cuban Sandwich Culture
Tampa vs. Miami: A Friendly Food Fight
The Cuban sandwich is at the center of a long-running, fun rivalry between Tampa and Miami. Leaders in both cities claim to have the best sandwich. This debate has been talked about by many news groups. Even a disagreement on Wikipedia about the sandwich was in a newspaper column in 2007.
In 2012, the debate flared up again. The Tampa City Council voted to name the "Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich" as the city's official "signature sandwich." This led to more playful arguments between public figures in Tampa and Miami.
Other Fun Facts
- In May 2012, Victor Padilla and Jolie Gonzalez-Padilla started the first Cuban Sandwich Festival. It was held in Tampa. They even built the "World's Longest Cuban Sandwich." There was also a contest for the best Cuban sandwich among local restaurants. The festival happens every year now. The contest has grown to include people from all over Florida, the US, and other countries.
- In the 2014 movie Chef, Jon Favreau plays a character who sells Cuban sandwiches. He calls them "Cubanos" from his food truck, El Jefe.
- In 2016, Christopher Spata, a writer for the Tampa Bay Times, tried an experiment. He sent out fake press releases to news groups. He said August 23 was "National Cuban Sandwich Day." He wanted to see how easy it was to create a "made-up food holiday." Several news sources and websites added the date to their holiday lists. The event has been celebrated more and more online and in real life since then. Spata's story about his experiment was on the front page of a Tampa newspaper. National news outlets also picked it up.
Similar Sandwiches
A sandwich similar to the Cuban is the medianoche sandwich. Its name means "midnight." As the name suggests, this sandwich started as a late-night snack. It was likely eaten in the night clubs of Havana. The medianoche has the same ingredients as the Cuban sandwich. But it is smaller. Also, it is served on yellow-colored egg bread. This bread is similar to challah. It is softer and sweeter than Cuban bread.
See also
In Spanish: Sándwich cubano para niños
