Ethnic Sandwich Spins

In the 1st century, written records—part of the Passover Seder about the korech (which translates as “wrap” or “sandwich”)—note that Rabbi Hillel the Elder wrapped “Paschal lamb, the matzo and the bitter herbs” and ate them as one, thereby, quite possibly, creating the first sandwich.

But the noted rabbi’s invention would eventually be credited to another. John Montague, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, is typically credited with “inventing” the sandwich nearly 1,000 years later, in 1762. The earl had been playing cards for hours when, seeking sustenance without showing his hand, he stuffed meat and cheese between slices of bread. Other patrons requested a similar repast, and Montague gambled and ate his way into history.

Generally, the sandwich is the perfect portable meal. And Americans know how to make a sandwich—hot pastrami on rye, ham and cheese on wheat with slivers of unsalted butter, a Reuben, a BLT ... the permutations are practically endless.

But as product developers are keenly aware, American diners are on the march for new flavor profiles and innovative combinations.

A perusal of menu offerings from the nation’s top- 200 restaurant chains, as complied by Food Beat, Inc., Wheaton, IL, shows the industry is responding to that demand with sandwiches inspired by ethnic cuisines from all corners of the globe. Today, deli sandwiches and BLTs share the menu with pressed Cuban sandwiches, pitas, panini, muffulettas and more, which collectively strive to keep even the most-demanding diner intrigued.

“People have more sophisticated palates now,” says Jill Preston, director of communications, Bakers Square. She notes that, from an R&D standpoint, they’re always looking for innovative menu items, “trying to take traditional food items and do something new.” Ethnic flavors are incredibly popular, she suggests, and ethnic sandwiches—comfort food with a twist—are a huge area of development.

Ethnic terms appear all over sandwich menus at the nation’s top chains. The ethnic sandwich descriptions for the second half of 2006 include 52 mentions of chipotle, 40 of Cajun and two of jerk. Focaccia appears 40 times, baguette 15, feta 14, and wasabi twice.

New ethnic sandwich offerings are appearing on the menus of upscale/steak venues and family/coffeeshop establishments, as well as casual/theme chains and quick-serve restaurants. Au Bon Pain has debuted a Chicken Chipotle Sandwich, menued as a chicken breast with Gouda cheese, caramelized onions and chipotle mayonnaise on focaccia. At Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks, the Kilauea Burger is a burger encrusted with jalapeño and black pepper with pepper Jack cheese, chipotle aïoli, lettuce, tomato and seasoned red onion strings. Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse this year introduced its Crispy Thai Shrimp Wrap, described as crisp fried popcorn shrimp and stir-fried vegetables, glazed with sesame dressing in a flour tortilla.

LaRosa’s has introduced two new ethnic sandwiches, a Chicken Panini and a Cuban Panini. The latter, according to Mary Ann Firth, CRC®, research and development chef for the chain, is capicola ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese topped with sliced pickles and “served hot and crunchy from the panini grill.”

The sandwiches were introduced, Firth says, to meet the demands of that increasingly sophisticated American diner. The goal was a blend of old-favorite Italian and new-favorite Cuban. “It has been very well received,” she says, noting they’ve heard that people like the crust. “It’s just a little different.”

The sandwich takes full advantage of the tremendously diverse American population. Ethnic sandwiches, Firth says, are a “melding of cultures. We are blurring the lines and sharing the best of the best.”

DOING THE TWIST 

Putting new twists on old favorites is an ongoing challenge for product developers, but ethnic sandwiches offer almost endless opportunity. Some traditional sandwiches are getting an ethnic accent, and then changing again via substituting a different bread, spice or dressing. Such twisting might convolute even Chubby Checker, but the results are delightful.

Beginning with some of the finest international sandwich offerings, innovative product developers have, in recent history, introduced the fajita to the pita, and the panino to the Cuban. They use some of the world’s most intriguing flavors—Cajun spices, Jamaican jerk, Mexican chipotle—and take advantage of the finest breads. The results are both fascinating and fun.

The Fajita Pita at Bakers Square is filled with a spicy chicken breast, sautéed onions, green peppers and melted Swiss cheese, and is served with salsa and guacamole. “The pita is a new twist on traditional fajitas,” says Preston. The sandwich, she says, has been particularly well received.

Beef O’Brady’s Family Sports Restaurants has long capitalized on the Cuban—the hot, pressed sandwich, a fairly traditional combination of ham, salami and Swiss cheese on Cuban bread, has been on the menu since the chain’s founding. Nick Vojnovic, president of the chain, explains that Beef O’Brady’s strayed from the original Cuban a bit by substituting salami for the customary pork.

But the Beef O’Brady’s sandwich is built on Cuban tradition: a bread baked with palm fronds in the time-honored method. Vojnovic says that after biting into the bread, the diner can see bits of the fronds. The key, he says, is to lightly butter the inside of the bread so that when the sandwich is pressed “it gets nice and crispy on the outside and (the ingredients) melt on the inside.”

He adds that the sandwich, always tremendously popular in its adopted Tampa and Miami homes, is also performing well in perimeter markets where the Cubano is less familiar.

The family/coffeeshop venue Big Boy offers its Chicken Santa Fe Ciabatta, a fajita-seasoned and chargrilled chicken breast with melted Cheddar cheese, green peppers, onions, lettuce and tomato, in ciabatta bread. Bill Hadden, executive vice president of marketing and innovation for the chain, describes the artisan bread as “a different style of ciabatta with a very soft texture on the outside that opens like a slipper.” He notes that it’s uniquely built from the inside out.

“When you bite into it after it’s grilled, it has a bit of a crunch.” He adds that the sandwich has a Southwestern flair, with a ranch dressing to moderate the heat. “We make our own salad dressings, and a bit of the heat and spice is toned down by the ranch,” he says.

Big Boy’s ethnic sandwiches arrived on the menu in the form of a promotion, run in 2004, and the sandwiches “flew out the door,” according to Hadden. The company, however, didn’t rush to put it on the regular menu. He notes that there seems to be nothing that will kill a success story more quickly than assuming a temporary item will survive the long run. But the sandwiches were requested so often that they made their way onto the menu in 2005—and continue to sell as well as they did during the promotional period.

Today, no sandwich is an island. Ethnic sandwiches are migrating around the country, even as they emigrate from abroad. (One exception is the muffuletta, which apparently refuses to be uprooted from its native New Orleans.) 

Vojnovic says the Cuban traveled north along the interstate highway system, making its way up I-55 from Tampa, to introduce itself to the Midwest. It also cruised along I-95 from Miami to arrive at New York eateries.

LaRosa’s ethnic sandwiches are a response to Midwesterners’ demand for a taste of the international on their sandwich menus, suggests Firth.

Clearly, product developers have been taking opportunities to borrow from across the country and around the world. American diners are eager to experiment, and the nation’s top-200 chains are eager to provide the offerings. Given the number of ethnic sandwiches shown in the Food Beat data, it’s unlikely diners will soon run out of new things to try.

Kate Harrigan is a freelance writer and editor specializing in food and travel. She lives in Massachusetts. Food Beat, Inc., based in Wheaton, IL, tracks menu activity at the top-200 U.S. restaurant chains. It provides the industry with indepth menu analyses and related trend information.