BATTLE OF THE...Food Fight!
How four South Florida cities compare when it comes to the title of “Best Cuban Sandwich.”
By Fran Golden
A Cuban sandwich is the quintessential Florida treat, the Sunshine State’s equivalent of a New York hot dog or a New Orleans po’ boy. The sandwich is essentially a grilled ham and cheese with the addition of roast pork and often salami, layered sub-style. There’s usually a schmear of mustard and a couple of pickle slices added.
If it’s done the traditional way, all this is on Cuban white bread, made with a touch of lard. The bread is buttered — some chefs now use olive oil — and the sandwich is carefully pressed with an iron known as a plancha.
The best Cuban sandwiches are crispy on the outside, with juicy pork and melted cheese on the inside. Keeping the inside moist, but not so pressed the meat juices and condiments drip down your chin, is an art form.
Key West historian Loy Glenn Westfall makes a good case that the sandwiches arrived in Florida with the first wave of Cuban immigrants some 175 years ago, which would make Key West the birthplace of the sandwich in the United States. On the other hand, Tampa has also been known to claim that title.
The sandwiches were certainly a fixture in Key West by the time Cubans fleeing Spanish rule formed communities around cigar-manufacturing factories in the 1860s, Westfall says. Sold from kiosks and carts, they were the preferred lunch of cigar workers.
When Key West’s cigar industry experienced a devastating fire in 1886, most of the manufacturing factories moved to Ybor City in Tampa. The Cuban cigar-makers worked alongside Italians in Ybor City, which may be why the popular sandwich got the addition of Genoa salami.
Over time, some regional differences with the sandwiches formed. For instance, in Key West, where the sandwiches are known as Cuban mix or “mixto,” the sandwiches come with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Ask for these condiments in other places and you may get a look as if you are messing with something pure that doesn’t need such added fluff.
In South Florida, Cuban sandwiches carry on the tradition of a true worker’s meal. Even today, you’ll find some of the best sandwiches in kiosks, corner grocery stores, and casual restaurants. Our top picks for places to try the sandwiches even include a laundromat.