Cemita Poblana: Mexico’s Baroque Sandwich
The first thing that comes to mind for many at the mention of Puebla, Mexico, is the city’s traditional Mole Poblano, an undeniable hallmark of traditional Mexican gastronomy and rightfully so. However, the city’s other culinary superstar is a sandwich with a taste as astounding and just as deserving to be world-renowned and it is called the cemita poblana.
The allure of the sandwich, like the classic BLT or Club, has always been the contrast of the symphony of flavors and textures you can get by mixing ingredients in between two pieces of bread. Mexico’s Cemita Poblana must be inspired by the baroque era of exuberance in the ornamentation of Puebla’s many churches and is reflected in the torta’s diverse flavors and textures.
The bread, a special sesame seed sprinkled roll, is believed to be a legacy of Jewish Iberian bakers present in colonial Puebla.
The meat is typically a thin filet of crispy fried breaded pork, beef, or chicken and is topped with a slice of ham.
The cheese has to be the lacy cheese we know as Queso Oaxaca north of the border and quesillo in central Mexico.
As a tangy counterpoint, mixed vegetables and chiles pIckled in spices from the Mediterranean world in a vinegar-based preservation technique introduced to Spain by the Moors who arrived in the Iberian Peninsula.
The stars of the sandwich are the exciting flavors offered by the fresh herbal taste of the papaloquelite
All together they make a truly one-of-a-kind culinary experience.