The Cuban Sandwich Blog

Former Tampa Tribune food writer Jeff Houck explores the tasty culture of Florida's most famous sandwich.

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Now for sale: “The Cuban Sandwich: A History In Layers,” by Andrew T. Huse, Bárbara C. Cruz and Jeff Houck, published by University Press of Florida.

To purchase: https://bit.ly/CubanBook

https://bit.ly/CubanBook

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FRIENDS OF THE CUBAN

Pollo Tropical’s Cuban Hot Dog

The Cuban Hot Dog at Pollo Tropical "starts with an all-beef frank on a soft hot dog bun and is then topped with ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, papitas and finished off with a drizzle of mayo-mustard.”

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Welcome to Florida: The Cuban sandwich controversy

Andrew Huse, author of "From Saloons to Steak Houses: A History of Tampa," talks about an upcoming title about the history of the Cuban sandwich.

Link

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“The driver was just in a hurry to get home to eat her Cuban sandwich.” -- Ted Dilar, owner of The Floridian restaurant in Treasure Island, Fla., after a motorist drove into the eatery’s porch.

Source

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VARIATION ON A THEME

Cuban Egg Rolls

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CUBAN SANDWICHES IN THE NEWS

Tampa Bay Business Journal:

A local Tampa restaurant has landed on the Food Network's 100 Best Sandwiches in America list.

The Columbia Restaurant, which holds the claim as the oldest dining establishment in Florida, made the Food Network's list for its Cuban sandwich. It was the only restaurant in Florida to make the list.

Here is what Food Network had to say about the sandwich:

“The Cuban sandwich is a misnomer on many levels — neither the sandwich itself nor its culturally diverse fillings originated in Cuba. It’s like an ode to the cultural fabric that made up its home city when it was created in 1915. Invented at Tampa’s Columbia Restaurant, the oldest dining establishment in the state, the iconic sandwich was actually called a mixto when it was first created. It combines Genoa salami from Italy, Spanish ham, Cuban-style mojo-marinated pork, Swiss cheese, German pickles and mustard, nestled in fluffy Cuban bread. The bread still comes from century-old La Segunda Central Bakery, which has been the supplier since shortly after the sandwich was invented.”

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VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Vegan Cubano Sandwich

Bunnie Cakes

Baguette style sandwich with smoked gouda, provolone, american cheese, hickory smoked, oven roasted deli slices and topped with homemade sauce and dill pickle chips. 

Photo: Bunnie Cakes

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CUBAN SANDWICHES IN THE NEWS

“You Can Venmo Someone for ‘Heroine‘ & an `AK-47’ but Not a `Cuban Sandwich’”

On the money-transfer platforms PayPal and Venmo, users can transfer cash to someone for “the kidnapping,” “cocaine,” “wire fraud” or to the “KKK,” but they’ll have trouble making their exchange for, say, a “Cuban sandwich.” That’s because unlike “AK-47,” “anthrax” or “assassination,” the word “Cuba” is included in a list of keywords the company considers potentially suspect when written in the memo.

Source: https://remezcla.com/culture/paypal-venmo-cuba-flag-list/

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THE ART OF THE CUBAN

Palm Ave. Sandwich Shop

Tampa, Fla.

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SANDWICH WITH A THOUSAND FACES

(Tampa Bay Times)

The Florida State Fair is back, and with it comes all kinds of culinary oddities. Vendors new and old have filled the midway with ridiculous flavor combinations, outrageous portions and plenty of deep-fried delicacies.

This year’s new offerings include a savory twist on funnel cake, grilled cheeses stuffed with dinner foods and Cuban sandwich pizza. At the risk of our health and sanity, we decided to put some of the most unusual foods to the test. Most of the dishes we ate were new to the fair, although we did sample a few strange treats that have returned due to popular demand. Here’s what we thought:

Pizza Emporium received a lot of attention for its new Cuban sandwich pizza this year. The pie features salami, mojo pork, ham, swiss cheese, dijonnaise, and, of course, pickles.

Gabrielle Calise: This has a stronger Cuban sandwich taste than an actual sandwich might since the ingredients are right on top of the pizza instead of hiding between two pieces of bread. I didn’t know how I would feel about the pickles on top, but they add a nice sour crunch. I would order this in a restaurant.

Martha Asencio-Rhine: This is basically a flat Cuban sandwich. It tastes exactly like a Cuban. It’s the norm for Tampa Bay Cuban sandwich lovers to have their favorite spots. I know I certainly have mine. But pizza is sacred. Or so I thought. A Cuban sandwich is a Cuban sandwich and pizza is pizza. The two have no business mixing. But this is the Florida State Fair, and weird food combos seem to be required. This was good, I enjoyed it, but afterward I decided I probably wouldn’t eat my Cuban in pizza form again.

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CUBAN RULER

The City of Tampa used the price of a Cuban sandwich to illustrate the cost of stormwater fee increases.

Only in Tampa: Documents explained the proposed monthly rate increase for a small single family home in terms of — I am not making this up — the price of a large Cuban sandwich from the West Tampa Sandwich Shop, or $4.45, with a helpful drawing of a Cuban sandwich cut in half. The tax would start at about half a Cuban, and through 2021, rise to a full Cuban or so. Sadly, no one took the opportunity to make snarky remarks about government and pork. Later, the mayor went with the cost of a couple of cafe con leches. And miracle of miracles, the council agreed to move forward to at least a public hearing. By 6 p.m., after progress for a park and hope for stormwater, everyone went home, having on this day at least, earned their keep.

Source

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CUBANO TIME CAPSULE

“Family ordering takeout at an Ybor City restaurant - Tampa, Florida”

Circa, 1970s

Source

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CUBAN SANDWICH, FINE

HAINES CITY, Fla. (AP) - A Florida police officer who oversees a red light camera program has written tickets to family, friends and even fellow officers and now he's writing one to himself.

Officer Tim Glover was reviewing the camera footage for the Haines City Police Department recently when he noticed a marked patrol car. When he zeroed in on the unit number, Glover said he realized it was his car. Glover was on his way to lunch when he ran the red light, telling The Ledger Friday, it was the most expensive Cuban sandwich he'd ever eaten.

Glover said he didn't consider not ticketing himself. Technically, he couldn't write his own ticket so he alerted his police chief. A fellow officer ultimately wrote Glover the $158 ticket.

Source.

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The 10 Most Famous Sandwiches in America (and Where to Try Them)

6. Cuban sandwich

Rising to popularity in the late 19th or early 20th century in Key West, Fla. and Ybor City in Tampa, Fla., the Cuban sandwich was most likely brought to Florida by Cuban workers and their families, eventually evolving into the sandwich we know today. Cuban bread is buttered or oiled, spread with mustard, then filled with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and sliced dill pickles (in Tampa, Genoa salami is also included). The sandwich is then pressed and grilled until crispy on the outside and melty within. Try one at The Columbia Restaurant in Tampa orVersailles restaurant in Miami.

(Source)

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CUBAN SANDWICHES IN THE NEWS

Reporter Christopher Spata of the Pulitzer prize-winning pranks the media by creating a hoax food holiday around the Cuban Sandwich:

I told my editors what I had done. After a brief period of head-cradling, they told me I had to walk it back, take down the Facebook page and fess up.

I wrote back to every single person who responded with any interest in Cuban Sandwich Day. I told them my name, that I was a reporter, and explained how I'd invented the whole thing. I expected at least some of them to be angry.

None of them were.

"Does it bother you that it's not a real thing?" I asked Gerry Furth-Sides, content editor for Local Food Eater, a blog about ethnic food that posted something about National Cuban Sandwich Day.

"No, because what is a real thing?" she responded.

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ELEMENTS OF THE GENRE

Cuban bread baked by La Segunda Central in Ybor City, Tampa, which has baked loaves for more than a century.

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Borderline Blasphemy

“As it turns out, this glorified ham and cheese has been more regional to southern Florida, but it's now turning up all over the country. And with good reason — it is unique and delicious.”

My Dear Ms. Ebel,

Calling a Cuban Sandwich a “glorified ham and cheese” is akin to calling the glorious Minnesota State Fair a “fun little backyard carnival.”

Thank you,

- The Editors