• Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:

    1. The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
    2. Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration

    Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.

Eating Like An Earl - Talking Time's Top Sandwiches

Presentation Note:
A standard practice at the end of our popularity contests is for the runner to provide a full list of all items they received and their rankings. The unorthodox matching I had to do for this Top 50 would make trying to do that a bit complicated. So I have decided to not provide that list. But doing that means that the picks that didn't match wouldn't be listed at all unless the contributors shared their full lists of picks at the end. So that those picks are not left out I will share them over the remaining weeks of the presentation. Posts for those picks will be made every other week on "off days".
 
#15
mlbYQFR.jpg

bánh mì

104 points, 4 votes
Staunchest Sandwich Supporter: WildcatJF (#4)

Tour Location: San Jose, California
​
Banh mi is a sandwich with a known history that was carried through different tumultous times in history. French colonialists in the 1800s imported French-style bread into Vietnam. For a long time the Vietnamese used it to make sandwiches that appealed to French tastes. As Vietnam split and reunited the sandwich became more tailored to Vietnamese palettes but at times became a luxury item. Vietnamese immigrants to the US brought the sandwich with them and it spread throughout North America. (But it has also been spread to other parts of the globe.)

The bahn mi is like a sub sandwich that uses a baguette-style bread with a "thin crust and white, airy crumb". The bread can contain both wheat and rice flour. Rice flour was used at times when wheat was an expensive commodity in Vietnam. The bread is filled with different meats or other items. The typical vegetables included are fresh cucumber, coriander leaves and shredded pickled carrot & daikon (radish). Common condiments used to complete the sandwich include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, seasoning sauce and mayo.

There's also a dessert version that is filled with ice cream and topped with crushed peanuts.

@WildcatJF @RT-55J @Daikaiju @Issun
 
I almost never order a club sandwich. Its a fine sandwich, but it usually doesn't make the cut for me.
Ham and Cheese is a good standard pack a lunch sandwich. I'd prefer swiss on mine.

I had never heard of a bahn mi until recently I was visiting a tiny little restaurant in Richmond which had a bahn mi on special with smoked pulled pork in it and I would have licked the plate.
 
I have it on good authority that none of the places here in town serve "a decent banh mi", which might go towards explaining why I don't care for them much. I've probably never had a good one! But I'd like to! It seems like something that I should like!
 
I am very particular about my banh mi and while my town has three Vietnamese restaurants I can't go to any of them for Banh Mi. I have to make a 80 minute round trip to get the good ones. Totally worth it. It's a bakery and they bake their own baguettes, which you can also just buy fresh and eat.

Dammit. Now I want a banh mi...
 
Another classic.
A deli in NE Philly, famous for its hoagies, was passed from the original owners to a Vietnamese family who have incorporated elements of Banh Mi into the standard fare.
 
Oh, I didn’t think of that, but I’ve definitely enjoyed myself some toast Hawaii when I’ve visited Germany in the past. Though personally I prefer it without the cherry, aesthetic though it may be.
 
Especially. I can sometimes enjoy a fresh cherry, but I’ve always disliked maraschinos. I suspect some childhood medicine soured me on the flavor forever.
 
#14
UmBrGTE.jpg

Cuban

109 points, 4 votes
Staunchest Sandwich Supporter: Issun (#3)

Tour Location:Tampa, Florida
​
Here we have another sandwich with a nebulous origin that goes by many names*. It seems to have originated with Cuban immigrants who traveled to Florida (and other parts of the US) and is the result of combining Cuban and American cuisines.

The Cubano is generally served on Cuban bread - which is a long loaf like French or Italian bread but Cuban bread usually has a bit more fat (from lard or vegetable shortening). The bread is filled with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard. The sandwich is often pressed and heated in a plancha to compact it, lightly crisp the bread and slightly melt the cheese.

The Cuban sandwich has a couple of local variations in Florida - salami is added in Tampa while lettuce, tomatoes and mayo are added in Key West.

@Issun @RT-55J @Lokii @nataeryn

*Like Cuban mix, Cuban pressed sandwich, Cubano, mixto or sándwich cubano.
 
I love a good cuban sandwich. I'm wondering if the places around here use special bread...
For my money, NC smoked pulled pork bbq in place of roasted pork listed above takes this sandwich to the next level. And I already said how good ham and swiss was above. Top tier sandwich.
 
My feelings on cubanos are the same for a lot of these sandwiches: a good one is sublime, but most of the time you're encountering one far substandard than that.
 
Mmmm. Cubano. Don’t forget the maduros or tostones on the side.

As Lokii notes, you want to be careful where you order one. Don’t get a Cubano from anyone but actual Cubans, just like you don’t get a Reuben anywhere but a Jewish deli.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think I had the Cuban on my list but it’s a good sandwich. Those fried sweet plantains Owl mentioned though, those would probably make my top 25 side-dishes easily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top