Cuban Bread appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Cuban bread (Pan Cubano) · Tampa
Long, light, crusty bread with a tender crumb. A palmetto frond is baked into the top of each loaf to vent steam and give the signature Tampa Cuban bread.
Cuban bread arrived in Tampa with Cuban cigar workers in the 1880s and 1890s. La Segunda Central Bakery in Ybor City has baked it daily since 1915 using the same long-form recipe: high-hydration dough, a quick rise and a hot, steamy oven. The palmetto frond baked on top is a Florida-Cuba innovation: the frond was cheap, abundant, and the trapped steam gave the bread its signature crackly crust. La Segunda bakes 18,000+ loaves a day and supplies most Cuban-sandwich shops in Tampa.
Where to eat in Tampa:
- La Segunda Central Bakery
- Mauricio Faedo's Bakery
- Alessi Bakery
- Mauricio Faedo's Bakery