Key West Ice Cream Factory

Key West Ice Cream Factory & Café
The Home of Key West’s Finest Ice Cream
201 William Street, Suite 101 • Key West, Florida 33045
Phone: (305) 295-3011 • Fax: (305) 294-5775
www.keywesticecreamfactory.com

History of the Cuban / Cubano Sandwich

How did the Cuban Sandwich make its way to Key West?

In the 1870s, since Cuba is only 90 miles from Key West, Florida, many Cubans moved to Key West Florida in the late 1800s to avoid Spanish Rule. The Cuban cigar manufacturers also wanted a safer place to manufacture. There were twenty-nine factories with twenty-one hundred employees producing 171,000 cigars a day in Key West. This marked the beginning of a significant Cuban influence in Key West and the rest of Florida that continues today.

The sandwiches were popular with the Cuban immigrants who worked in the cigar factories, selling for 15 cents each.

The Cuban sandwich is a popular meal in Key West, where many Cubans have settled. These tasty, toasted Cuban sandwiches are definitely our favorite snack. These treats can be found in most restaurants in Key West, but the best place to buy them is from Key West Ice Cream Factory & Café.

The most important part of a Cuban sandwich is the bread. It is not just ordinary bread. Cuban bread is a long crusty loaf featuring a tender, but not chewy, interior. Cuban bread is best when it is eaten on the same day that it is made, as Cuban bread contains lard, and has no preservatives.

The sandwiches have a submarine-style layering of ham, marinated Cuban pork, salami, & cheese. “All the Way” would have mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato and pickle, between a sliced length of Cuban bread. The key to a great, versus a good, Cuban sandwich lies in the grilling. A great Cuban sandwich is grilled in a sandwich press (called a plancha) until the ingredients have warmed in their own steam (the steady application of heat and weight fuse the meat, cheese and bread into a delectable and compact treat). One of the greatest sins in Cuban sandwich preparation is too light a press. A heavy hand on the press pushes all the juices and flavors together while still achieving the desired crunchy crust. Cuban sandwiches are sold hot (pressed) or cold (room temperature).

Every Cuban sandwich aficionado believes in their own version of this sandwich. In fact, they’re usually passionate about this and will readily debate among themselves the finer point of how to make a Cuban sandwich. No visit to Key West would be complete without sampling our Cuban sandwich.

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