Type | Sandwich |
---|---|
Place of origin | Venezuela and Aguada, Puerto Rico and Chicago, Illinois |
Main ingredients | Plantains, garlic-flavored mayonnaise, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes |
The jibarito (Spanish: [ x i β a ˈ ɾ i t o ]), is a sandwich made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread, aioli or garlic-flavored mayonnaise, and a filling that typically includes meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato. [1] [2] The original jibarito had a steak filling, and that remains the usual variety, but other ingredients, such as chicken and pork, are common.
Chicago restaurateur Juan "Peter" Figueroa [1] introduced the jibarito at Borinquen Restaurant, a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, in 1996, [1] [2] after hearing a Venezuelan cook talk about a Venezuelan sandwich called a Patacon. The name is a diminutive of Jíbaro and means "little yokel".
The sandwich's popularity soon spread to other Latin-American restaurants around Chicago, including Mexican, Cuban and Argentinian establishments, and jibaritos now can be found in some mainstream eateries as well. [3]
Other Latin American sandwiches served on fried plantains predate the jibarito. They include a Venezuelan cuisine specialty called a patacones and a 1991 invention by Jorge Muñoz and Coquí Feliciano served at their restaurant, Plátano Loco, in Aguada, Puerto Rico. [4]
The Daily Meal included the jibarito in their article "12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of". [5]