I’ve heard and read more this Holiday season than any year before in my memory, about the concept of ‘Turkey-Contrast’ meals to keep friends and family interested in over through the year-end hiatus. The Cubano Sandwich might be just your thing…
Sometimes foods are named for their place of origin. Sometimes they earn a place-name association for other reasons. Such as the London Broil (not really from London), or the Jerusalem Artichoke (not from the Holy land at all!)…
So it is with the Cubano…
First, (as Wikipedia puts it) to ‘disambiguate’: We’re talking here about the common, or street name for the popular Floridian Cuban sandwich, not a style of coffee or cocktail, or the similarly-named place in Cuba. Or the ubiquitous hispanic adjective referring to anything ‘Cuban’. And the latter in-cludes this sandwich. Because – even though you could say it’s ‘of’ Cuba – it is not literally ‘from’ Cuba.
This nuevo-clásico delight is popularly claimed to be from Ybor City, on the outskirts of Tampa, FL. But there are some folks who insist it first appeared in Key West. Wikipedia explains, most folks can agree the dish has its roots in, “early Cuban immigrant communities in Florida centered on the cigar industry.”
“The Cuban sandwich is at the center of a long-running friendly rivalry between Miami and Tampa. As part of that rivalry, the ‘Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich’ was designated the ‘signature sandwich of the city of Tampa’ by the Tampa City Council in 2012.”
Sarasota Magazine offers a delightfully atmospheric origin story, covering all the bases…
What’s in it?
The Cubano is traditionally stuffed with ham, mojo, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread. The Salami is one focus of the aforementioned civic rivaly: They include it in Tampa, but usually not in Miami. Both claim their version is the ‘real one’.
Tampa Magazine invested the time and effort, back in 2018, to prepare a detailed rundown on what constitutes a ‘real’ Cubano. I’ve put the concept under a microscope to pull out some salient points…
The Cheese
… MUST be Swiss. Don’t ask me why ‘Swiss’ cheese is traditional on a ‘Cuban’-style sandwich. Nobody else seems to know for sure, either. It just IS.
The Salami
… MUST be Genoa Salami. The experts say this is likely because Ybor City’s ‘Little Italy’ was right be-side its ‘Little Havana’ at the beginning of hte 20th century, when the sandwich was invented.
The Bread
Cuban Bread is often mistaken – on first sight – for French or Italian bread. But devotées say it’s thin, crispy crust and light fluffy, fine-grained interior are unique. Do NOT substitute Cuban Bread with any other kind of bread, if you want a genuine Cubano.
The Press
DO finish the sandwich in a Panini/sandwich press or traditional stove-top pan-over-pan rig. Butter, generously, the top exterior of the sandwich. If you don’t have a sandwich press, place the Cubano in a cast iron pan and weigh down with a second, slightly smaller iron pan. If necessary, weigh the top pan down with several heavy cans of soup or other canned food.
A proper Cubano should be flat enough that the diner can get a full bite of all layers every time. The cheese should be thoroughly melted. And the other ingredients should be well-warmed.
My take
Be sure to cut the sandwich in half, on a diagonal, before serving. If the bread is very long, you can cut the loaf into more than two servings. But the Cubano is traditionally served full-k=length or by the half.
One drawback, though many meat lovers would say I’m talking nonsense here, is that the Cubano has only a layer of pickles providing a token appearance by veggies in the dish. I always serve a tossed Chef’s or Garden Salad on the side, with a simple vinaigrette, to balance off the protein- and starch-heaviness of the sandwich itself.
One way or another, this is a wonderful, savoury dish that will make you forget – if only for as long it takes you to eat it – that’s there’s a big platter of leftover Turkey lurking in the fridge…
~ Maggie J.