13 Latin American Sandwiches You Have to Try
I remember I could NOT find any peanut butter and jelly for my peanut butter and jelly sandwich!! This happened while I was living in Costa Rica with my family while studying abroad at the local university. It had not dawned on me that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches may not have been a thing outside of the United States. In fact, I later learned that there are many kinds of sandwiches that are particular to certain countries. Here are just a few noteworthy examples of mouthwatering Latin American sandwiches.
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Uruguay: Chivito
Uruguay’s national dish is this noteworthy sandwich known as Chivito, which literally means “little goat”.
The main component is a thin slice of cooked beef steak (called churrasco). Other fillings include tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, olives, and mayonnaise. The Chivito may also contain ham, bacon, and a fried or boiled egg. It is served in a bun and eaten with French fries.
In addition, this sandwich may include peas, beets, red peppers, and sliced cucumbers.
It’s very similar to a sandwich in Argentina known as a lomito.
Chile: Chacarero
This sandwich, like Uruguay’s Chivito, is made with meat with a churrasco-style steak (which is thinly sliced).
The steak is placed on a round bread roll, like ciabatta or brioche (it’s originally made with a bread called Marraqueta) along with green beans, tomatoes, and chili pepper.
Did you read that right? Yes, this sandwich is made with green beans!
People keep making (and eating) it for a reason! Green beans do go well with a steak after all, right?
I mean, it was good enough to make it in Time Magazine! You can see it mentioned in an article titled “The 13 Most Amazing Sandwiches the World Has to Offer”.
Guatemala: Shuco
Ok, so it looks like this mouthwatering “sandwich” is more like a hotdog. However, who’s saying a hotdog isn’t a kind of sandwich? You can eat it with one hand and it’s got food inside!
Anyway, a Shuco is a Guatemalan “hot dog” (sandwich). It’s filled with a ton of stuff!
So, the meat usually consists of a hot dog, sausage, or even steak or chicken.
It’s placed on a long toasted piece of bread (like a hotdog bun).
The condiments they put on top can include guacamole, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and boiled cabbage.
If you would like to try to make this at home, here is an adapted American version I found on the web, made by someone who actually grew up in Guatemala, that looks pretty easy to make: click here.
You can find another recipe here.
On a side note, do you know what I’m thinking?
This is probably PERFECT for those of you who always have hotdogs in your refrigerator… I’m speaking mostly to those of you who have hotdog-loving toddlers running around lol.
Maybe?
El Salvador: Panes Con Pavo
So, the literal translation for this is “bread (plural) with turkey”.
It’s also known as Panes con Chumpe (chumpe is another word they use in El Salvador for turkey).
This is a traditional food that is cooked all over the country, although each region (and family) makes this Latin American sandwich very differently.
This mouthwatering sandwich is known to be very moist because of the sauce that is made and drizzled on the sandwich after it has been prepared.
Regarding how the turkey is prepared, I’ve seen many recipes use mustard, melted butter, and Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce).
These sauces are brushed onto the raw turkey before it is placed into the oven.
Once the turkey is cooked through, it is sliced and divided into long bread rolls, like French bread rolls.
Then, the sauce is slowly drizzled on top and the raw vegetables (such as cucumbers, lettuce, and radishes) get placed on top of that.
The sauce that is used to drizzle onto the sandwich is often made with onions, tomatoes, chiles, and chicken broth (again, each region and family makes this sandwich differently).
Many Salvadorian families here in the United States make this sandwich for Thanksgiving.
I recommend that you check out the video below to see how Gloria makes her Pan con Pavo.
Mexico: Torta
Now for the tortas! I used to eat these popular and mouthwatering sandwiches back when I lived in Southern California. I would often eat them at a friend’s house.
They’re super easy and simple to make, and tasty too!
A Mexican torta is a sandwich that is often made with the following:
shredded chicken, refried beans, guacamole or avocado, tomatoes, mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce, and Mexican-style cheese, like Oaxaca (which is similar to the Italian Mozzarella).
- Shredded chicken
- Refried beans
- Guacamole or avocado
- Tomatoes
- Iceberg lettuce
- Mexican-style cheese (Oaxaca)
The sandwich bread is super big and filling… the most often used is called bolillo (like a small baguette).
It’s hard and crunchy on the outside, but super soft and fluffy on the inside.
If you’re in Southern California, you can find lots of Mexican restaurants that sell tortas.
Fortunately, if you live in an area, like where I’m currently living, where there are not many Mexican restaurants around, again, it’s not difficult to make this from home.
There are plenty of recipes online!
Isabel, from IsabelEats, likes to make Tortas Ahogadas, which basically means the sandwich is drowned in a mouthwatering sauce.
I highly recommend trying it!
Cuba: Medianoche
Medianoche literally translates to “midnight” in English.
This mouthwatering Latin American sandwich is called medianoche because it was famously served around midnight at popular Havana nightclubs.
It’s made from a soft bread made of egg dough and is sweet and similar to Hawaiian bread—YUM!
It’s pressed and toasted and filled with ham, marinated roast pork, pickles, swiss cheese, and some butter and mustard (very similar to a Cuban sandwich except a Cuban sandwich is made with a hard, crusty bread).
Dominican Republic: Riki Taki
Riki Taki is traditional street food in the Dominican Republic.
It’s made with the following ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Bread rolls
- Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- White Vinegar
- Corn oil
- Adobo seasoning
- Boiled (and then sliced) eggs
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
Watch the video below by Belqui’s Twist to find out more about the Riki Taki!
(So mouth-watering)!
Argentina: Choripan
The first time I had Choripan was at a Latin American food festival at my church (oh how I miss those festivals… My mom and I would always make Costa Rican gallo pinto and plátanos maduros (fried ripe plantains)).
Choripan is Argentine street food.
It’s basically a grilled sausage sandwich (YUM).
The name is derived from a combination of chorizo sausage (chori–) and bread (pan is bread in Spanish). They use crusty bread that is similar to a baguette.
So, it’s chorizo with pan–the Choripan!
It’s topped with a chimichurri sauce that is spicy and savory. The main ingredients for this sauce include garlic, parsley, oregano, red chili flakes, apple cider or red wine vinegar, and olive oil.
To make this savory Latin American sandwich, you basically just grill the sausage, cut it in half, and place it on the bread. Then, you place the chimichurri on top and fold the sandwich halves together. That’s it!
How’s that for a mouthwatering sandwich?
Click here for some more tips on how to make choripan.
Brazil: Sanduíche Mortadella
The mortadella sandwich is a very filling sausage sandwich that originated in Sao Paulo.
Mortadella is a large Italian sausage (made with different spices and seasonings… particularly black pepper).
The total weight of this sandwich is about half a pound!
It consists of sourdough bread (who doesn’t love sourdough bread), mortadella sausage, slightly melted provolone cheese, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise.
All of this screams YUM to me!
Venezuela: Arepa
Arepas are very popular street foods found in both Colombia and Venezuela. They are made of pre-cooked cornmeal (called masarepa and remind me a lot of the Salvadorian pupusas (but pupusas are not made with cornmeal).
My good Colombian friends informed me that the ones from Venezuela are generally filled with more ingredients.
The Colombian ones, on the other hand, are more simple (but tasty nonetheless… especially the cheese-filled ones).
The Venezuelan arepas are often made with meat (like shredded pork or beef) or beans, lettuce, and sauces.
They are generally eaten as a snack. I’ve been told that they are especially yummy with a cup of hot coffee or hot chocolate.
The main ingredients are simple: warm water or milk, pre-cooked corn meal (masarepa), and salt!
These ingredients are mixed together, formed into a small pancake shape, and placed on a griddle to cook.
Once it’s cooked, you then cut the arepa open in the middle to form a pocket where you place the meats, cheese, or other vegetables.
And that’s it!
Puerto Rico: Mallorca
Puerto Rico’s Mallorca sandwich is made from a sweet bread roll.
(It’s similar to a buttery brioche)
You can normally recognize these delicious Latin American sandwiches because they have a dusting of SUGAR on top.
Normally, they are cut in half, spread with butter, and filled with ham and cheese.
Yum, yum!
Peru: Triple
One of the most popular Latin American sandwiches in Peru is called the Triple.
It’s made with 3 slices of sandwich bread, avocado (seasoned with pepper, salt, and lime), thinly sliced hard-boiled eggs, and tomato slices.
The first step is to spread mayonnaise on the bread slices. Then come the tomato, egg slices, and avocado slices, layered in between the three slices of bread.
The crust is normally cut off, and the sandwich is cut into thirds or fourths.
Pretty simple, eh?
Bolivia: Sanduiche de Chola
The Chola sandwich is named after the women who sold these sandwiches on the streets of Bolivia.
Bolivian Cholas (or Cholitas) are indigenous women in the Bolivian western highlands.
This sandwich is made from round bread and is filled with pickled vegetables, roasted pork, salsa, and a hot chili sauce called aji.
Conclusion
So, there you go! 13 noteworthy, mouthwatering sandwiches that you can try from all over Latin America.
Which one are YOU most excited about trying?
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