Tortas, the Ultimate Mexican Sandwich

One of the Torta stands outside of the Division del Norte
Metro  Station

As a graduate of Rutgers College in New Jersey, I thought that I knew the ultimate sandwich experience. The "Grease Trucks" on the end of the main stretch that is College Ave. served up their "fat" sandwiches to broke and busy college students all day. For five bucks, I'd get french fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken strips and cheese steak (and well-earned indigestion) conveniently served up on a hoagie roll. Pretty ultimate, right?

The "Cubano"

And then I came to Mexico, where I was expecting the ultimate taco experience (which I did receive and continue to on a regular basis), but I was also pleasantly surprised by the popularity of the torta, the Mexican sandwich. And, I'm sad to say, some of these tortas put the "fat" sandwiches of my college days to shame - they're cheaper, they're thicker and they have a larger selection of meats and cheeses - and they are just as popular as tacos as Mexico's favorite street food. A torta is a toasted bollilo (puffy and football-shaped) o telera (flat and round) roll with mayonnaise, chiles en vinagre, tomatoes, avocado and any combination of meat and cheese.

The Argentino

I am fortunate enough to have a torta truck about 10 feet from my front door that's open about 22 hours a day and crowded for at least half that. When I go (in the downtime), I like to get the Milanesa (breaded steak and melty quesillo cheese) for less than $3 or the Argentino (the Milanesa plus chorizo) for exactly $3, but the most popular by far is their so-called "cubano", which does not meet the traditional cubano standards but includes jamon (ham), huevo (egg), salchicha (sausage), pierna (pork leg?), american cheese (that's obvious), panela (white cheese), milanesa (breaded steak) and queso de puerco (which is the weird parts of the pig - like cheeks and ears - pressed and chilled into a mold and then sliced) - plus, mayo, chiles, tomoatos and avocado, of course, all for $5. That's ultimate.