Who created the Cuban sandwich? Researchers set out to settle the debate

Enlarge this image

At its heart, the story of the Cuban sandwich is about immigration. This image shows Cuban sandwiches being made in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida in 1966. Courtesy of Florida Memory and Chip Weiner Photographic Arts hide caption

At its heart, the story of the Cuban sandwich is about immigration. This image shows Cuban sandwiches being made in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida in 1966.

Andy Huse had heard the arguments over the origin of the Cuban sandwich for years. It's been a long-standing debate between Tampa and Miami, which both claim ownership of the popular meal.

So he and two other researchers set out to find the final answer and settle the debate. And they landed on one conclusion: the sandwich's origin is, well, Cuba.

"I just think leaving Cuba out of the discussion for so long really blunted our understanding of where it came from, and making it kind of a Florida story instead of a Cuba story," Huse said.

In his view, there is room for Florida to be part of the narrative – Miami, Tampa and other U.S. cities added their own touches and brought popularity to the sandwich – but the story is one of immigration and evolution.

The team has put their findings in a new book. University Press of Florida hide caption

Huse is a librarian at the University of South Florida and explored these topics in a new book he co-wrote, The Cuban Sandwich: A History In Layers.

The book unpacks these layers of history like those of the sandwich itself – Cuban bread filled with seasoned pork, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard – to understand where it came from and how it has evolved. It weaves together research and profiles of artisans who are making the sandwich in different parts of the world today.

"I knew that just writing a bunch of history about the Cuban sandwich might interest a few people, but bringing up to the present day and really recognizing the people who are out there doing it was really important," Huse said.

Huse and his team never found a "smoking gun" that defined the exact place where the sandwich was invented, but they never intended to find one, anyway. That's not how history usually works, he said.

"You don't know you have something great until several years later. It's down the line, and then everyone's arguing about who came up with it," he said.

Huse co-wrote the book with Barbara Cruz, professor of social science education at the University of South Florida, and Jeff Houck, vice president of marketing for the Columbia Restaurant Group in Tampa. Cruz emphasized that, ultimately, the Cuban sandwich has an immigrant story.

"It was born in Cuba, from the mixto – literally mixed sandwich – meaning, you know, mixed different kinds of meats, for example, and cheese," she said. "And by way of cigar workers going to Key West, then coming to Ybor City and Tampa."

Enlarge this image

Palmetto leaves crown the loaves at La Segunda Central Bakery in Tampa, which has been in business for more than a century. Chip Weiner Photographic Arts hide caption

Palmetto leaves crown the loaves at La Segunda Central Bakery in Tampa, which has been in business for more than a century.