The bauru sandwich is a Brazilian classic. One blogger compared it to the American BLT in terms of its fame. At its most basic, it’s a French bread roll (without the soft white interior) with melted cheese, roast beef and tomatoes in it. It’s the invention of a Brazilian law student named Casemiro Pinto Neto (aka “Bauru”, after his hometown) who, in the 1930s, walked into his favorite eatery in São Paulo and told the cook to make a sandwich just for him. Once he and another customer tasted it, everyone was saying, “Me vê um do Bauru!” (to say “me vê” is an informal way of ordering food).
The eatery was frequented by politicians, footballers and other famous people, who all loved the new sandwich. They all knew it by association with the guy who invented it, thus the name Bauru.
Ingredients
– French bread roll (without the ‘crumb’)
– 3 slices of mozzarella cheese (best melted in a double boiler, aka “banho-maria”)
– 3 slices of tomato
– 3 slices of roast beef (loin or rump cut)
– 2 slices of pickles (optional)
– Salt and oregano (optional)
Here’s a video of a guy making it, in case you operate better with visuals!
