'Historic Tampa Cuban' to be City's Signature Sandwich?

They call it the Cuban sandwich, but this ham and pork-filled delight between two pieces of crunchy, pressed bread actually developed in and around our own Historic Ybor City, not Cuba.

Because of this longstanding relationship between the Cuban sandwich and the Tampa Bay area, the Tampa City Council will vote on April to designate the Cuban sandwich as  the city's signature sandwich.  This vote, though, might not be as simple of an issue as you think.

The council wants to call this official, signature sandwich the 'Historic Tampa Cuban' and make it as historically accurate as possible.  First and foremost, this means no mayo.  Factory workers would often buy the sandwiches and save them for later...without the assistance of refrigeration, so all the ingredients have to hold up over time to be authentic.

And the specificity doesn't end there.  The city actually crafted a draft resolution with steps detailing the exact way to create the Historic Tampa Cuban.  The steps are as follows...

1) Use Cuban bread which is an all-natural, white wheat flour loaf and is made by scoring the loaf with palmetto palm fronds, and which bread has been stored in a paper bag.

2) Cut loaf of Cuban bread into 8- to 10-inch pieces and cut bread lengthwise, with scored portion on top.

3) On bottom piece of bread place a slice of ham.

4) On top of ham, place a slice of Cuban-style roast pork made by marinatìng the pork in garlic and mojo sauce.

5) On top of pork, place a slice of natural dried, cured Genoa salami.

6) On top of salami, place a slice of dry Swiss cheese.

7) On top of cheese, add three sliced dill sandwich pickles.

8) On top piece of Cuban bread (scored portion), spread yellow mustard and place on top of sandwich.

So, yeah.  The council definitely did its research.  They're hoping that once the Historic Tampa Cuban gets approved that they can issue city certificates to restaurants that serve this historically faithful sandwich.

What do you think of the council's version of the Cuban sandwich?  Delicious?  Blah?  Just ok?  Let us know in the comments below.