The jibarito 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. The original jibarito had a steak filling, and that remains the usual variety, but other ingredients, such as chicken and pork, are common.

History

Chicago restaurateur Juan "Peter" Figueroa introduced the jibarito at Borinquen Restaurant, a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, in 1996, 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 restaurants as well.

Related sandwiches

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.

Reception

The Daily Meal included the jibarito in their article "12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of".