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📍 Florida

Cuban sandwich (Cubano)

· Lunch

A pressed Cuban-bread sandwich with roast pork, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles.

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Cuban sandwich (Cubano): A pressed Cuban-bread sandwich with roast pork, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles.
Photo: Kramtronik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.
⏱ 25 min🍽 2 servings📊 Easy🏷 Commonly associated
Preparation
15 min
Cooking
10 min
Waiting and resting
0 min

History

It took shape in Ybor City, in south Tampa, Florida, in the early 20th century among Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants who worked in the cigar factories. The Tampa press already mentioned it in 1906; it is said that at the Columbia Restaurant, Genoa salami was added around 1905 to please the Italians, a feature that distinguishes the Tampa cubano from the Miami one.

Ingredients

Adjust quantities

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

  1. 1

    Split the bread open and spread the inside with mustard.

  2. 2

    Layer on the ham, roast pork, salami, Swiss cheese, and pickles.

  3. 3

    Close the sandwich and spread butter on the outside.

  4. 4

    Press it on a griddle or in a skillet with a weight on top over medium heat.

  5. 5

    Press and toast on both sides until the bread is crisp and the cheese melts.

  6. 6

    Cut on the diagonal and serve hot.

Cooking tips

  • Use already cooked meats and medium heat so the cheese melts before the bread burns.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

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