Learning To “Mixto” It Up: Cuban Sandwiches And More
In order to discover the history of the Cuban sandwich one must travel back to the 1870s when many Cubans moved to Key West, Florida, to escape the oppression of the Spanish that was occurring in Cuba. Among those moving were many cigar manufacturers. At its heighth, Key West was the home to 29 cigar manufacturing factories. These factories produced over 171,000 cigars a day. The employees needed a cheap lunch spot and loved the Cuban sandwich.
One of the largest factories was El Principe de Gales. This factory was destroyed in 1886 by fire, and the owner moved it to Miami. Soon other cigar manufacturers moved out of Key West to Tampa and Miami. For many reasons, the sandwich did not travel to Tampa and Miami, for many years. Guests at the diners in Tampa and Miami seemed to prefer Spanish food.
Miami was slow to recognize the Cuban sandwich, but in 1947, Frank Garces Jr. sold the first Cuban sandwich at a bar called the Do Drop Inn. The pressed sandwich was served with ham and roasted pork. It was originally accompanied by Swish cheese, pickles, butter and mustard. The restaurant was a main stay in Miami for 22 years, despite changing its name and location. Today, most of the bread for the Cuban sandwich is produced by La Segunda, which opened in 1915.