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Reuben Sandwich




The Reuben or '''Reuben sandwich''' is a grilled or toasted Sandwich made with Corned Beef , Sauerkraut , Swiss Cheese , and Russian Dressing . It is typically made with Rye bread though originally it may have been served on Pumpernickel bread.

The origins of the Reuben are contested. One account holds that Reuben Kulakofsky (sometimes spelled Reubin), a grocer from Omaha, Nebraska , was the inventor, perhaps as part of a group effort by members of Kulakofsky's weekly Poker game held in the Blackstone Hotel from ''ca.'' 1920-1935. The participants, who nicknamed themselves "the committee," included the hotel's owner, Charles Schimmel . The sandwich first gained local fame when Schimmel put it on the Blackstone's lunch menu.

Descendants of Arnold Reuben , owner of the now defunct Reuben Restaurant on 58th Street in New York City , also claim the invention. They maintain that Arnold Reuben invented the sandwich in 1914 to serve to Annette Seelos , an actress who supposedly was one of Charlie Chaplin's leading ladies.

The former version appears more widely accepted. The oldest known Reuben artifact is a menu from the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln , Nebraska , from 1937. Also, in an article published in the Omaha Evening World-Herald in 1965, Ed Schimmel, son of Charles Schimmel, is quoted as claiming to have visited the Reuben Restaurant where he ordered a Reuben only to discover that "they had never heard of it." At one time, Schimmel owned both the Blackstone Hotel and the Cornhusker Hotel.


RECIPE

Ingredients: drained , sliced rye bread, sliced corn beef, sliced Swiss cheese, and butter

  • combine the sauerkraut, onion, and parsley

  • spread either dressing on two slices bread

  • pile layers of corned beef, cheese, and sauerkraut mixture on one slice

  • add second slice of bread

  • grill in butter


A modern variation of the Reuben substitutes Thousand Island Dressing for the traditional Russian dressing. The Reuben has many variations , including a "sister" sandwich, the Rachel, which is made with Pastrami or turkey in place of corned beef (and sometimes Cole Slaw in place of sauerkraut). A Georgia Reuben is made with turkey instead of the corned beef, and Cole Slaw . The names of the various Reuben variations are dependent upon the region, and there are many approaches to a Reuben derivative. Most of them include the basal ingredients of a meat of some sort, slaw or sauerkraut or some cabbage variation, cheese, and a dressing - almost all variations are then grilled, although one variation includes a Monte Cristo treatment of being dipped in sweet batter and deep fried.


EXTERNAL LINK

  • Reuben Realm In-depth reviews of reuben sandwiches from dozens of restaurants.



REFERENCES

  • Claiborne, Craig. "Whence the Reuben? Omaha, It Seems." The New York Times (May 17, 1976).

  • McMorris, Robert. "Omaha Saw Invention of Reuben Sandwich." Omaha Evening World-Herald (September 11, 1965).

  • McMorris, Robert. "Just When You Thought Reuben's Roots Were Safe." Omaha World-Herald (January 31, 1986): 2.

  • McMorris, Robert. "This Reuben Explanation Seems Hard to Swallow." Omaha World-Herald (July 24, 1989): 2.

  • History of Reuben Sandwich