Cuban Sandwich

The Cuban sandwich (*Cubano*) — roast pork (*lechón*), ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard on Cuban bread, pressed on a hot flat grill until the cheese melts and the bread is crispy and flat — is the signature food of Miami's Cuban-American community and the subject of a bitter territorial dispute with Tampa, Florida (which adds salami and claims the original). The sandwich is a Cuban-American creation — the specific combination of ingredients reflects the diasporic community's adaptation to American ingredients (Swiss cheese, yellow mustard) layered onto Cuban staples (lechón, Cuban bread). Versailles Restaurant on Calle Ocho in Little Havana is the Miami benchmark; the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is the Tampa benchmark.

Cuban bread (a light, slightly sweet, white bread with a paper-thin crust and a soft, airy interior — similar to New Orleans French bread in concept), split lengthwise, spread with yellow mustard (not Dijon, not honey mustard — yellow), layered with: roast pork (lechón or pernil, thinly sliced), sweet ham (thinly sliced), Swiss cheese (the specific American cheese, not Emmentaler), and dill pickle slices. The sandwich is closed, brushed with butter or lard on the exterior, and pressed on a hot *plancha* (flat grill or sandwich press) until the bread is crispy and flattened, the cheese is fully melted, and the interior is hot throughout. The pressed sandwich should be approximately 3cm thick — the pressing is aggressive.

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