It is one of the most consumed snacks in the world.

Do you know someone who has never eaten a

mixed sandwich

?

Okay, maybe yes, because every rule has its exception.

This dish, which celebrates its world day on April 12, arrived in national cafes in the middle of the last century -in the Catalan ones it

became popular with the name bikini

, thanks to a famous party hall on Barcelona's Diagonal which, in the years 50, began to serve some ham and cheese sandwiches-, although its origins are not Spanish.

It is not necessary to go back to the s.

XVIII nor John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich and inveterate gambler who is credited with the

invention

, we can stay, for example, in the late nineteenth century and in the United States.

There are theories that identify the mixed as the

Ham & Cheese Sandwich

, the sandwich that was sold on

New York

baseball fields

before the famous

hot dogs

became the

masters

of the stands.

Pan Deliro.

Baseball fields and bars in Havana

For other sources, its origin would be in that

Cuban sandwich

-toast, with cheese and pork meat- that was dispatched in the bars of Havana and that from there would have reached the United States and then Europe.

And one more hypothesis, the one that maintains that the

croque-monsieur

would have arisen from the evolution of the baseball sandwich and the Cuban one

that began to triumph in Paris in 1910.

Once the presentations / historical dissertations are done, we go to the present of the mixed or bikini and some of the -uncountable- directions where they can be tried, either in a traditional, updated or author's key.

We started with

Pan.Delirio

, recognized and awarded artisan workshop in the capital that last December opened a cafeteria in the Gourmet Experience of El Corte Inglés in Castellana (Plaza de Manuel Gómez-Moreno, 79).

The

Cocheteux, father and son, have rescued

this sandwich, which they make with slices of

brioche bread,

melted cheese and natural cooked ham.

Commercial Coffee

The mixed one is a fixture in the offer of the centenary

Café Comercial

(Glorieta de Bilbao, 7).

"In such a simple preparation, the key lies in the

excellence of the ingredients

and in preparing everything with

love

", explains Pepe Roch.

The coordinates?

La Artesa artisan

sliced ​​bread, unpressed

York ham

that is cut very thin so that, when placed, it has the

texture of a cloud

and top quality havarti cheese.

"The most important thing is to work so that it has its ironing time, which must be exactly 185 degrees, and that it

creates a crust

that makes it crunchy and toasted, thanks to the fact that it has previously been smeared with Asturian butter

melted with a brush

" , concludes the chef.

With Iberian ham, at Dani Brasserie.

On occasion, the Malaga chef Dani García has said that "eating a mixed sandwich made incredibly well is also luxury."

So it is not surprising that the offer of

Dani Brasserie

- his restaurant located on the top floor of the exclusive

Four Seasons Madrid hotel

(Seville, 3) - includes this modest and at the same time glamorous bite.

In the

Lounge

area

of the brasserie there is a menu of snacks, with uninterrupted service, which includes the now classic Dani's Sandwich, with cooked ham and cheese, and the chef's new creation, the mixed

parmesan crust, havarti and slices of ham Iberico

, both escorted by a basket of chips.

And we go to Lavapiés, to

Adorado Bar

.

This place (Mesón de Paredes, 22) with

Argentine roots

has a wide

brunch

proposal

, with breakfasts all day.

Among its specialties is

Tostado

, with sourdough bread

,

ham and cheese (in quantity) melted or cheese and red onion and a touch of butter.

And, if you like, also egg.

Bikini, in Magasand.

And, although the term bikini is limited to Catalan territory, in Madrid we find some sandwiches under that nomenclature.

For example, those prepared by the restaurateur and cook

Cristina Oria

.

Its home delivery menu and also those of its three restaurants (Conde de Aranda, 6; José Ortega y Gasset, 29 and Las Rozas Village) opt for the

tartufo bikini

, with ham and truffled cheese.

In the first two dining rooms, a variant is also served: the

comte and lomito bikini

.

In the two places that

Magasand

, a house specializing in healthy food, has open right now (in Retiro and Delicias) they sell a bikini with

polar rye bread

(instead of the classic mold), extra cooked ham, mascarpone and

trufatta

cream

and cheese havarti).

And if you prefer to innovate, you can opt for

more powerful versions

, such as the stuffing with chicken curry, avocado, Emmental cheese, tomato and arugula.

Bikini, at DOT Café Bar.

More bikinis, on this occasion, those served at

DOT Café Bar

, whose owners, María and José, landed in Madrid from Barcelona.

"The initial idea was to have the

traditional

bikini fixed

and add a weekly one

, which would change", recalls María.

But shortly after opening this modern and bright establishment in Arganzuela (Eugenio Sellés, 6), the success was such that "it gave us wings to continue creating combinations: Italian mortadella, seared turkey ...", he continues.

Right now they offer the classic (York ham and Asturian cheese);

the

three cheeses

(Asturian, edam and orange cheddar, with pineapple and habanero chutney);

pepperoni

(cheddar, pepperoni, tomato and oregano) and pastrami.

All with brioche bread -and a mold for vegans- from

Panadarío

and with the option of adding eggs.

Media 'Zapatilla', at Melo's.

The

presence

more lustful

comes with the

Cuban my brother

(pork

I shredded

cooked at low temperature with sliced turkey, Dijon mustard, pickles and Havarti) of

the Sanducherie

, specialized home in sandwiches author (Santa Teresa, 1), and the

Cuban ham leg

, with bacon, cucumber, arugula and cheddar, from

Midtwon

(Paseo de la Habana, 11).

Putting a version, why not close this tour with

Melo's

huge

Zapatilla

now that the famous Lavapapiés bar (Ave María, 44) has reopened with new owners.

Don't worry because this

Galician mix

is made according to the original recipe: loaf bread with a little butter and grilled golden brown, with several layers of ham and nipple cheese.

The Sanducherie.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Madrid

GastronomyThree new restaurants that will give a lot of play this spring

Reopening of CeboAurelio Morales: "After what we have fought, I dream of the second star"

PRODUCT14 places where artichokes are addicted

See links of interest

  • Work calendar

  • Rocio Carrasco

  • Home THE WORLD TODAY

  • Internazionale - Cagliari

  • Burnley - Newcastle United

  • Villarreal - Osasuna

  • Malaga - Albacete

  • Betis - Atlético, live