Around this time in 2012, Tampa, Florida declared that “The Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich” was the city’s signature sandwich.
And the Cuban does have a long history in Tampa – but it’s not the only city that calls itself the Cuban’s home back.
Researchers actually studied the sandwich rivalry between Tampa and Miami, Florida.
Each city has a claim to its version of the Cuban being the authentic one.
As the name suggests, the sandwich came to the US along with Cuban immigrants in the late 19th Century.
The sandwich was an affordable option for the workers who came from Cuba to work in Florida’s cigar factories.
By the way, in Cuba it was called un sanwich (you don’t have to call a Cuban sandwich a Cuban in Cuba).
It was also called un mixto, because it typically has a mixture of meats like pork and ham along with cheese, pickles and mustard on Cuban bread.
The main difference is that the Tampa version of the Cuban includes salami.
That may have been a substitute for a Cuban sausage that wasn’t widely available in the US.
Or, since Italian immigrants also lived in the state at that time, it could be an example of how a sandwich can change as people from different cultures and backgrounds live together.
The Miami version of the Cuban is salami-free.
A mayor of Miami once said of the Tampa cubano, salami is for pizza, not sandwiches.
Miami also started using an iron press on the sandwiches, which has become another signature of the Cuban in many places.
Neither city is going to give ground to the other in this rivalry, and if you’re outside of it, that’s not a bad thing!
Because when you’ve got sandwiches that are this beloved by this many people, more is definitely better.
Starting today in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, it’s the 2024 Artisan Guitar Show.
Some of the world’s best guitar makers, the ones who build the instruments one at a time, will showcase their creations.
And when you have great guitars around, you’ll also have some great guitarists to play them.
Tampa vs. Miami: The Fight for the Cuban Sandwich (Delish)
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