Whence the “Reuben”? One account holds that the Reuben’s creator was Arnold Reuben, the German-Jewish owner of the famed Reuben’s Delicatessen (1908 – 2001) in New York City. According to an interview with Craig Claiborne, Arnold Reuben invented the “Reuben Special” around 1914. The earliest references in print to the sandwich are New York–based, but that is not conclusive evidence, though the fact that the earliest, in a 1926 issue of Theatre Magazine, references a “Reuben Special,” does seem to take its cue from Arnold Reuben’s menu. [Wikipedia] A Reuben is a hearty-sized sandwich of corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on Russian rye bread.
TRADITIONAL REUBEN SANDWICH ON RYE
CUBAN REUBEN: “Hot pressed, on fresh Cuban bread from America’s oldest Cuban bakery: pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.” Havana Harry’s Market and Cafe [Largo, Florida]
ONE VARIATION OF MANY CUBAN SANDWICHES
BUT: This is the special day of the Saint, for the Irish and those who wish they were Irish, who exchange their Cubans and their Reubens for the U&C, Usual and Customary:
WHAT SOME CONSIDER THE PERFECT MARRIAGE
© James F. O’Neil March 2017
Memories of a Time 