Two American cities are competing for the title of inventor of the Cuban sandwich.. What is the story?

The cities of Miami and Tampa in the US state of Florida have great weather, a vibrant Cuban community, and beautiful beaches, and each of them claims credit for inventing the famous Cuban sandwich. Therefore, the attempt to determine which city was the true birthplace of this multi-layered sandwich sparks a heated debate between residents of the two cities.

Andrew Tambozo, who was born in Tampa and is of Sicilian and Cuban descent, says he remembers eating the Cuban sandwich from his childhood on birthdays, family events and even funerals. At his café and artisanal meat shop, The Boozy Pig, he serves a version of the Cuban sandwich that he calls a “mixto,” the old Cuban name for this type of sandwich.

Tambozo believes that Tampa is the place where the sandwich developed as it is known today, thanks to the migration of Cuban workers associated with the cigar industry, along with the tradition of Cuban bread making in the city. About 450 kilometers southeast of Tampa, Chef Michele Bernstein, owner of Café La Trova in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, has different, but equally powerful, memories.

She grew up in Miami near a Cuban supermarket and butcher, and her mother would order her a Cuban sandwich and banana shake while she shopped. She says that the sandwich in Miami is not just a food, but a part of the city's identity and culture.

But which city invented the Cuban sandwich? How did the differences between the Tampa and Miami versions emerge, such as the addition of Tampa salami and the different texture of the bread?

According to the authors of "The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers," the sandwich's roots undoubtedly go back to Cuba, although the details of its beginnings are not well documented. Researcher Barbara Cruz, a Cuban-American and professor at the University of South Florida, explains that the first versions in Cuba were similar to the traditional Spanish “bocadio” sandwich, which consists of bread, cheese, and some type of meat.

Around the late 19th century, this sandwich evolved into what was known as a “mixto,” because it contained more than one type of meat. Research in old Cuban newspapers indicates that Havana bakeries sold “mixto” sandwiches, which did not have a fixed recipe, as people used whatever meat and ingredients they had on hand.

As Cubans immigrated to the United States in the 19th century, the sandwich moved to cities such as New York, Key West, Tampa, and South Florida, and began to vary from one community to another. Historians say that the form the sandwich has become today developed especially in Tampa during the late nineteenth century.

A large wave of Cubans arrived in Key West around 1868, coinciding with the beginning of the Ten Years' War against Spanish rule, and parts of the Cuban cigar industry moved from Havana to the city. In 1885, Spanish cigar maker Vicente Martinez Ybor moved his operations to Tampa due to labor problems and a lack of fresh water in Key West.

As the cigar industry boomed, the Cuban sandwich found an ideal environment to spread. In Tampa, the sandwich was sold as food to workers from small windows or at bars, because it was easy to carry and eat, as the worker could eat half of it and save the other half for later.

Cigar factory workers were paid according to the number of cigars they produced, so sandwiches were a practical meal that could be eaten quickly while working. As for Miami, it did not witness a large wave of Cuban immigration until after 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, and then immigration increased during the sixties, seventies, and eighties.

Historians believe that the different timing of immigration may partly explain the differences between the two versions of the sandwich in the two cities, as Miami bread may have retained characteristics closer to the original Cuban bread due to the more recent arrival of immigrants. One of the most notable differences between the two versions is the addition of Genoa salami to the Tampa sandwich, but experts believe that the bread is the most important difference.

In Tampa, the bagel is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, while Miami bagel has a thinner, more fragile crust, so the sandwich is often pressed to achieve the desired crunch. Tampa is closely associated with La Segunda Bakery, which was founded in 1915 and has been run by the Moreh family for four generations.

The bakery produces more than 20,000 loaves per day, using an ancient tradition of placing a palm leaf on top of each loaf to maintain its moisture. Several historic restaurants in Tampa use this bread to prepare the Cuban sandwich.

Over time, the Cuban sandwich spread across the United States and the world, reaching cities such as Toronto, Helsinki, and Seoul. At the International Cuban Sandwich Festival in Tampa, a South Korean restaurant won the popular vote two years in a row after adding kimchi to its version of the sandwich.

Some chefs have also created new versions of the sandwich in different ways. Michelle Bernstein in Miami served an empanada that combines ingredients from a traditional Cuban sandwich with mustard aioli, while Andrew Tambozo in Tampa adds his own twist by smoking meats and preparing pork in a way inspired by his Cuban and Sicilian origins.

Despite the spread of the Cuban sandwich internationally, researcher Barbara Cruz says that the American version known today almost does not exist in Cuba due to a lack of resources. However, feelings remain strong about the “correct” way to prepare it.

Cruz jokingly recounts that her sister, who lives in Miami, sometimes insists, when she visits Tampa, on bringing her own bread, indicating that the competition between the two cities continues to this day.