Medianoche (;
Spanish for "midnight") is a type of
sandwich which originated in
Cuba. It is served in many Cuban communities in the United States. It is so named because of the sandwich's popularity as a staple served in
Havana's night clubs right around or after midnight.
A ''medianoche'' consists of roast
pork,
ham,
mustard,
Swiss cheese, and
sweet pickles
''Sweet Pickles'' is a series of 40 children's books by Ruth Lerner Perle, Jacquelyn Reinach, and Richard Hefter and published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston, having sold over 50 million copies. The books are set in the fictional town of Sweet Pickl ...
. It is a close cousin to the
Cuban sandwich, the chief difference being that a ''medianoche'' is made on soft, sweet egg dough bread similar to
Challah rather than on crustier
Cuban bread. Like the Cuban sandwich, the ''medianoche'' is typically warmed in a press before eating.
In
Jeff Lindsay's ''
Dexter
Dexter may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003
* Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...
'' novels, Dexter names the medianoche as his favorite food.
Elena Ruz
The Elena Ruz sandwich is a
turkey sandwich with
cream cheese and
strawberry jam on toasted but not pressed medianoche bread. It is named after the Cuban socialite Elena Ruz Valdés-Fauli, who convinced the
Havana restaurant El Carmelo to put it on the menu in the late 1920s or early 1930s. As of the 2020s, Cuban-American restaurants such as
Versailles in Miami have continued to serve the sandwich despite waning popularity.
See also
*
List of sandwiches
*
Cuban cuisine
*
Muffuletta
References
Cheese sandwiches
Cuban cuisine
Pork sandwiches
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