Viva La Cuban Sandwich!
We love this delicious Latin variation of the grilled ham and cheese. Learn how to make it at home.
The ingredients—glazed ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, crunchy pickles, tangy mustard—are enough to tempt anyone to the nearest deli. But layered on Cuban bread (a baguette-like style), brushed with butter or olive oil and grilled in a plancha, or ungrooved sandwich press, the Cuban sandwich with its juicy, melded components is irresistible to longtime connoisseurs and brand new converts alike.
What is a Cuban Sandwich?
Think of it as a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, kicked up a notch. Known also to culinary insiders as a cubano, Cuban Mix, Cuban pressed sandwich, or mixto, this specialty sandwich is reported to have been around since the mid-1800s, with some reports dating its genesis to the early 1500s. It was served to workers in cigar factories and sugar mills, first in cities like Santiago de Cuba and Havana, Cuba, and then in Key West, Tampa, and Ybor City, Florida as cigar factories moved to the United States. The Cuban sandwich was a portable meal that could be eaten without fuss during the long work day.
According to food historians, by the mid-1960s the Cuban sandwich found a welcome home in Miami restaurants, too, following the large Cuban migration to that city after Battista’s fall. It made its way to New York, New Jersey, and Chicago as Cuban exiles moved further north. In Florida, street corner snack bars called rancherias readily serve the beloved Cuban sandwich, as they have for decades.
Variations on the sandwich include the medianoche, or midnight sandwich, popular at Havana nightclubs in the late-night hours. The ingredients are the same as its Cuban sibling, but it is smaller and made with soft bread similar to traditional Jewish Challah.
Cuban Sandwich Recipe
Try this recipe for the ultimate Cuban sandwich, courtesy of Linda Stradley.
Cuban Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
Try this recipe for the ultimate Cuban sandwich, courtesy of Linda Stradley.
- 1 loaf Cuban bread*
- Prepared yellow mustard
- 1/2 pound deli baked ham, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound roasted pork, thinly sliced
- 8 thin dill pickle slices
- 1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
* Italian or French bread may be substituted
Instructions
- Slice the bread horizontally to open. Spread a thin layer of mustard on top and bottom halves of bread. Arrange ham, pork, pickle slices, and Swiss cheese evenly over the bread. Cover the sandwiches with the top halves of the bread. Cut into 4 sandwiches and use one of the following methods for cooking:Sandwich/Panini Pres/George Foreman Grill: Grill sandwiches in a hot buttered sandwich press until flat, bread is browned, and cheese has melted. Remove from heat; cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately.Waffle Iron: Turn over metal plates to the flat surface. Place sandwich in a hot buttered waffle iron, close cover, and grill for 3 minutes on each side.Griddle or Frying Pan: Place sandwich on a hot griddle or frying pan, and position a heavy iron skillet or bacon press on top of the sandwich. Flatten the sandwich to about 1/4 of its original size. Grill the sandwich for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Beth Herman
Beth Herman is a freelance writer with interests in healthy living and food, family, animal welfare, architecture and design, religion, and yoga. She writes for a variety of national and regional publications, institutions, and websites.
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Beth Herman#molongui-disabled-link
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Beth Herman#molongui-disabled-link
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Beth Herman#molongui-disabled-link
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Beth Herman#molongui-disabled-link
I haven’t lived in FL for 20 years but I am sure there is still debate as to whether Tampa or Miami have the best Cuban sandwich, being from Tampa there is no other than the Silver Ring. Not sure which I miss the most Cubans or smoked mullet.
Oh my, I adore Cuban sandwiches! While I’ve only eaten then while vacationing in Florida, these Sammies are definitely the cat’s meow. Thanks for sharing the information and I also appreciate my fellow readers’ commentary about authentic vs. American. Viva el Sandwich Cubano!
Best on Ciabatta then grilled! Mmmmmmmmm
The problem some people have is determining the difference between a “sandwich” in Cuba and an American “Cuban sandwich.” The American Cuban sandwich cropped up in Tampa’s Ybor City at the turn of the century. As the immigrants shaped the landscape, the sandwich morphed accordingly by the 40’s, which is when Genoa salami became a crucial ingredient. Tampa Bay historian Andy Huse has evidence of Salchichon (a Spanish salami) being used prior to Genoa salami. I have written accounts from newspapers citing the use of Braunschweiger on Cubans, as well as an article from 1934 that calls for “soft salami.” So it seems that when the sandwich hit the sandy shores of west Florida, there was always a salami/sausage in play, and with the vast number of Cubans and Italians mingling in Tampa, it seems the Genoa salami found it’s home between two pieces of Cuban bread. The Miami Cubans came roughly 70 years after Tampa’s Cubans, and what they brought to Miami was a salamiless sandwich, and this is why we have a 300 mile salami divide. Either way, with or without salami, it’s the best sandwich in the world. Oh, and that Cuban sandwich pic needs to be updated. Please.
Hello and thank you for posting a note about the yummy Cuban sandwich. Just so your readers know, I lived in Cuba until the age of 14 and ate plenty of Cuban sandwiches there. The Cuban sandwich DEFINITIVELY does not contain salami. No, no no. Home baked ham, (no sweet ham) home baked pork, pickles, Swiss cheese and mustard. No mayonnaise either. Thanks! Oh, and serve hot!! Melt that cheese! Caliente! Thanks and a happy and healthy New Year for all.
The correct spell would be “Viva el Sandwich Cubano”
The ingredients are correct, but the apparience is not. I post a real cuban sandwich from Miami. Thank you