Sandwiches de miga

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Sándwiches de miga are popular food items in Argentina and Uruguay, where they are often consumed at parties. Rather than making them from scratch, Argentines usually buy them at a local bakery. They can be toasted or untoasted. The former are a common bar food in Argentina, known locally as tostados.

The sándwiches de miga resemble the Italian tramezzino and the English cucumber sandwich, which is a typical tea-time food. The Academia Argentina de Gastronomía suggests that the sandwiches may have been introduced into Argentina by immigrants from Northern Italy. In contrast to that story, the Buenos Aires newspaper Clarín suggests that the sandwich was actually invented by local bakers at the Confitería Ideal who had made a sandwich with a recreated English-style bread to satisfy a group of homesick British engineers who used to frequent their establishment during the early part of the twentieth century.

The sandwiches are single, double or multiply layered and are made from thinly sliced bread with no crust, i.e. the part of the bread called miga. They are filled with thinly sliced cold cuts (especially ham), hard-boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, bell peppers, tuna, lettuce, and sometimes other vegetables such as asparagus. Butter or mayonnaise is another important ingredient.