Reuben 101: Here's all you need to know about this sandwich 🥪
Gear up and get ready for a killer celebration. The 14th of March is a day that should be marked in any meat lover’s calendar. It’s the National Reuben Sandwich Day! This day has been celebrated for the last 8 years, when the 14th of March was declared National Reuben Sandwich Day by Omaha in the US back in 2013. 🎉
To help you get ready for this special day, here’s all you need to know about the Reuben sandwich:
What is a Reuben sandwich?
A Reuben is one of the greatest sandwiches you’ll ever taste in your life. It is made up of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, encased in between two slices of rye bread. Wait, don’t cringe yet… the corned beef is not the canned kind that we find in local supermarkets, but it is freshly made and absolutely gorgeous. 😍
There are some variations to this sandwich that have been created along the years. These include the use of Thousand Island Dressing instead of Russian dressing or the use of smoked meat instead of corned beef (also known as the Montreal Reuben).
What’s the history behind the Reuben sandwich?
There is some debate as to where this sandwich came from, but we’re going to give you the most popular story behind the Reuben. 🥪
This sandwich originated sometime in the 1920s or 1930s, in the same city that declared 14th March as the National Reuben Sandwich Day: Omaha. The name is said to come from the person who created it, Reuben Kulakofsky, a Jewish grocer who was born in Lithuania.
Reuben Kulakofsky, while at the weekly poker game he used to attend at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, requested a sandwich made with corned beef and sauerkraut. Among the poker players was Charles Schimmel, who was the owner of the Blackstone Hotel, and also father of the Hotel’s Chef. 👩🍳
The chef of the hotel created the sandwich using rye bread and added Swiss cheese and Russian dressing to it, you know, to spice things up a bit. This sandwich was such a hit that it was later added to the hotel's lunch menu. An employee of the hotel also entered The National Sandwich Idea Contest using this recipe later on, which resulted in the Reuben sandwich gaining massive popularity. 🏆
Another story states that the creator of the Reuben sandwich is actually Arnold Reuben, Owner and Chef at Reuben’s Deli in New York, back in 1914. He had made the sandwich for a renowned actress and he called it the Reuben Special. 😋
Evidence shifts more towards the Omaha story, but honestly, we’re just glad that someone created the Reuben sandwich.
What about Reuben sandwiches in Malta?
To date, the only known existence of a Beef Reuben sandwich in Malta was at EAT. Although it is not on the menu at the moment, it does come back from time to time, so let’s all hope that it comes back real soon. 🤞
Until then, maybe one of you readers out there will be inspired to go on a mission to make the Reuben sandwich one of the most popular sandwiches in Malta. A girl can dream. You can also try making this at home. If you do, we want to see that! Share your photos on Instagram and tag us using @foodblog.mt - we’ll be waiting.
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