The Cuban sandwich is roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard and dill pickles pressed on a buttered Cuban loaf until the cheese melts and the bread crackles.

The Cuban sandwich originated in the late 19th-century Cuban cigar-worker communities of Ybor City, Tampa, and Key West, where Cuban immigrants combined Spanish, German, Italian and Cuban deli traditions on a single pressed loaf. Tampa Cubans add Genoa salami reflecting Italian neighbors; Miami Cubans skip it. Central Florida absorbed Cuban migration through the 1960s Mariel exodus and the 1970s mass Puerto Rican settlement, and Orlando's Black Bean Deli has pressed the canonical Miami-style Cuban since 2001. La Lechonera El Jibarito in Kissimmee and the Pio Pio counters round out the Latin map.

Where to eat Cuban sandwich in Orlando

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Make it at home

Serves 230 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh Cuban bread loaf, about 35cm long, split lengthwise
  • 120g sliced roast pork, warmed
  • 120g sliced sweet ham
  • 4 slices Swiss cheese
  • Yellow mustard
  • 8 thin dill pickle slices
  • 30g unsalted butter, softened, for the press

Method

  1. Slice the Cuban loaf lengthwise and lay open. Spread yellow mustard on both cut sides.
  2. Layer the bottom half with ham, then roast pork, then Swiss cheese, then dill pickle slices. Close the sandwich.
  3. Butter the outside top and bottom of the closed loaf generously.
  4. Heat a sandwich press, plancha or heavy skillet over medium heat. Place the sandwich, weight it with a second heavy pan, and press 4 to 5 minutes per side until the bread is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted.
  5. Cut on a sharp diagonal and serve immediately, hot.

Editor tip. Real Cuban bread is the key. If you can't find Cuban bread, soft Italian or French rolls work. Never add lettuce, tomato or mayonnaise.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy.