A timeline of classic Mexican tortas, from Cuauhtémoc to Cuba

Published September 7, 2024

México’s distinctive sandwich, the torta, is a comfort food classic. Like many of the nation’s other beloved foods, it has inspired countless regional variations. But the history of the torta begins, at least according to popular lore, with an 11-year-old prodigy. It’s tempting to compare Armando Martínez Centurión to Mozart in his prodigious talents at such a precocious age, but let’s face it: Mozart never created anything as delicious as a torta.

Young Armando began selling “tortas compuestas,” meaning sandwiches with multiple ingredients, in 1892 in Mexico City. The locations have shifted through the years, but remarkably, Torterías Armando is still in business over 130 years later. The first sandwiches were made with telera, an iconic Mexican bread type, filled with well-seasoned fixings ranging from ham, pork loin, and sardines to avocado, chipotle, and cheese.

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