Ok….Get your mind out of the gutter. I don’t want you to think I am posting pornographic material, but you may consider it food porn after I describe to you how rich and luscious this sandwich really is. I happened to be in Miami a few years ago, and ventured out to the famous Calle Ocho to have a real Cuban sandwich. I must say, it was something I will never forget. A Cuban sandwich (also called a mixto) is a toasted ham, roasted pork, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard sandwich served on Cuban bread. The sandwich became a common lunch food for workers in both the cigar factories and sugar mills of Cuba around 1900. At that time, travel between Cuba and Florida was easy, and Cubans frequently sailed back and forth for employment, pleasure, and family visits. By 1910, restaurants in Key West were serving many such sandwiches daily. By the 1960s, Cuban sandwiches were also common in Miami cafeterias and restaurants, as the city gained a large influx of Cuban residents after Castro’s 1959 rise to power.
While there is some debate as to the contents of a “true” Cuban sandwich, most agree that a traditional Cuban sandwich starts with Cuban bread. The loaf is sliced into lengths of 8-12 inches (20-30 cm), lightly buttered, and sliced in half horizontally. A coat of yellow mustard is spread on the bread, then layers of roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, and thinly-sliced dill pickles are added in. When assembled, the sandwich is buttered on the outside and lightly toasted in a sandwich press called a plancha, which is somewhat similar to a Panini press but without the grooved surfaces. The plancha both heats and compresses the sandwich, which remains in the press until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted. It is cut on the diagonal and either served with papas fritas (fried potatoes), platanos maduros (sweet plaintains which have been left to ripen and then fried) or tostones (green plantains which are fried then smashed and fried again until crisp). Although you can add whatever accompaniments you want to your sandwich, a traditional Cuban sandwich does not have lettuce, tomato or mayonnaise on it…
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