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

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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