El Sándwich Cubano

Upon moving from Richmond, Virginia to a retirement home in Florida, Izzy didn’t talk much about his new lifestyle or the weather, but he raved, “The Cuban Sandwich is so great I cannot go a day without one.” I had to explore this delicacy myself. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that it is basically a fancy ham sandwich, consisting of ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. Historically this was the traditional sandwich of the Cuban tobacco and sugar cane workers, but some people insist that the Cuban sandwich was actually created in Miami’s Little Havana. As Cuban natives settled in the United States, different communities made it in their own particular style. Tampa, Florida added salami to create “The Tampa Cuban.” My taste buds tell me that what makes the Cuban sandwich really great is the distinctive, roundish and flattish Cuban bread, very crispy on the outside with just a few thin layers of lovely softness in the middle of this traditionally grilled creation, with a history and culture all of its own.