Saying that our cuisine is one of the most popular in the world is a bit of a cliché, but it’s the truth. Paella, Iberian ham, potato omelette, skewers and even calçots are some of the preparations that have helped the rest of the planet to take an interest in our gastronomy. And they are not the only ones, because our sandwiches have also crossed borders. The specialized portal Taste Atlas has just published the ranking of the 100 sandwiches best valued by its users and number 22 is from our country: ham.
From Taste Atlas they define it like this: “it is a sandwich that is prepared with bread and Serrano or Iberian ham. The inside of the bread is usually sprayed with olive oil and rubbed with halves of ripe tomatoes and garlic for a juicier result. The filling It can also be enhanced with Manchego cheese, tomato slices, strips of roasted piquillo peppers and pitted black olives.” With these last few ingredients, I’m sure it’s also good, although for our taste it’s no longer a ham sandwich.
About this recipe they add that it is usually available in bars and cafeterias, where it is typical to accompany it with a coffee with milk (they do not say anything about the Plaza Mayor), tea or orange juice. “There are also establishments that serve it with a glass of wine or champagne”, they say, although here we are not so used to enjoying it with the bubbly drink.
Taste Atlas users rate it 4.3 out of 5, and one Internet user even dared to leave the following comment: “The Iberian ham sandwich is a must”.
Despite the fact that our sandwich has a very good score, 21 pass it ahead. The Tombik, a typical Turkish sandwich that is prepared with a kind of flat bread (pide ekmek) and with shredded lamb meat, takes the first position in the ranking with a 4.7. Second place is for a sandwich that because of its name -Butifarra- could be Spanish, but it is from Lima. It has chili, radish, country ham, Creole sauce and lettuce, and its grade is 4.6.
The tenderloin sandwich from Córdoba (Argentina) ranks third, followed by Spiedie (USA), Bhan mi (Vietnam), Lobster Roll (USA), Choripán (Argentina), Toast Skagen (Sweden), the Sánguche de milanesa (Argentina) and, in tenth place, the Andean Arepa (Venezuela).
We have to go to position 27 to find another Spanish recipe: the calamari sandwich (4.3). “The bread is cut in half lengthwise and filled with fresh and crispy fried calamari rings,” they explain in Taste Atlas, which invites its users to eat it at any time of the day, including breakfast.
