An old Smithsonian says the Reuben sandwich was named for a guy in Omaha. A web search says Reuben lived in New York. Another web site says the it got it’s name from a sandwich shop named Reuben’s in New York. And a site that features nice Hanukka cookies also gives the recipe for the Reuben sandwich with swiss cheese.
Okay, let’s backtrack to lunch: A Reuben sandwich from a kosher deli. I note that this Reuben didn’t contain a slice of Swiss cheese, which seems proper. I would think that any sandwich with Mr. Reuben’s name on it should contain no cheese of any kind.
Yet the majority of Reubens I have come across always seem to have that swiss melted into it. And the casual search I started to find the Straight Dope has just made that sandwich curiouser and curiouser.
The standard Reuben sandwich that I have seen has included corned beef (or pastrami), swiss cheese, and saurkraut… toasted on rye bread.
The combination of swiss cheese (milk product) with corned beef (meat product) would violate the rules for kosher foods. HOWEVER, it would be possible to use a kosher non-dairy cheese, and in that case the sandwich would be in compliance with the technical rules of kashrut, but not the spirit. (“Kashrut” is the noun, kosher is the adjective.)
In that same line, there is the kosher cheeseburger, made from soy instead of meat, and with non-dairy cheese, and you have a cheeseburger that is parve (neither meat nor milk).
Obviously, also, the corned beef (or pastrami) and saurkraut would have to be kosher.
Most kosher delis serve a Reuban without the cheese.
As to your comment that something with a meat/milk mixture should not be named after someone Jewish (Mr Reuben), two comments:
- Reuben as either a first name or a last name does not necessarily indicate the individual is Jewish; and
- Not all Jews adhere to the rules of kashrut.
CK forgot what makes a Reuben a Reuben.
Russian dressing. mmmmmmmmm
Most traditionally American “Jewish” names (Ira, Reuben, Morty) were actually in relatively heavy usage among American Gentiles in the 19th Century. As a part of the process of assimilation, Jewish immigrant families began to give these names to their children to declare their Americanness. A similar process can be seen with all the second-generation Asian-American Toms, Mikes, and Lucys around.
My ancestors, demonstrating their long-standing tolerance, promptly abandoned use of these names so that no one would think they were Jewish.
Here’s a question I’ve often wondered. Is it kosher to eat milk and meat together from two different species? Say, goat cheese with beef?
To Bibliophage:
ORIGINALLY, the prohibition against mixing dairy products with meat was a reaction against the Babylonian practice of cooking a kid goat in its mother's milk. This practice (like many Babylonian pagan practices) struck Jews as repulsive, and that specific practice was banned.
However, over time, Jewish teachers and lawyers expanded that rule to cover ALL combinations of meat and dairy products. I may be wrong (I am a mere Irish Catholic, not a rabbi), but I'm pretty sure that Jews didn't officially reject ALL milk/meat combinations until the adoption of the Talmud.
Bottom line is, a Jew can't put cheese on a grilled chicken sandwich, he can't put butter on his bread while eating roast leg of lamb, he can't put sour cream on his baked potato while eating turkey... it's quite comprehensive. Meat is meat and milk is milk, under the Talmud.Thank you for asking, Doug, I’ve actually wondered about that myself. And CK, non-dairy cheese? It seems to me that that’d be in the same category as fat-free margarine (yes, it exists. Be very afraid). I’ll have to remember not to order Reubans from kosher delis.
Provolone, not Swiss. And fried in butter.
Sauls, I think it was, in Manhattan.
Can’t a Jewish deli sell non kosher to a non Jew?
Peace,
mangeorge
Throw out the “garbage”, my Jewish friend called it.
mangeorge
A lot of Jews do not follow all the Talmudic rules “orthodox/observant” Jews do, so yes, it is quite possible to get & eat a Rueben (with real cheese) in a Jewish deli; and also consume with relish(and russian dressing 
) and still be Jewish. You could also get a ham sandwich in many, and THAT is certainly “non-kosher”.
Yes, good point, Daniel. There is a difference between a “kosher deli” (where strict rules of kashrut would be observed) and a “kosher-style deli” (which probably would not serve a ham sandwich, but might mix meat and milk) and simply a “deli” (which would not have any connection to the rules of kashrut at all.)
Astorian, the question of “why” any of the rules are in the Torah depends on your belief system. No explanation is given in the text itself. For some rules, yes, there is an explanatory note that says that is the practice of the pagans around you, and you should avoid it. Not so for the rules of meat/milk mixture, however.
If you want to argue an historic origin, the one you propose is as good as any and better than most.
If you want to argue a philosophic origin, then I would argue that the mixture of milk (white, semen-like, symbol of life) and meat (red, blood, symbol of death) is inelegant.
If you want to argue sociological, strict dietary eating regulations were intended to ensure that the Israelites did not join in meals with their pagan neighbors. There is a verse somewhere in Torah (I can’t find it at the moment) that says, if you don’t eat with them, you won’t become friends with them, you won’t intermarry with them, and you won’t fall into their pagan and barbarous ways. That’s still a logic underlying much practice in Orthodoxy today, which has the lowest intermarriage rate of all the sects of Judaism… but that’s a different topic.
Back to the original post–
In the movie “Quiz Show” the John Turturro character explains that the Reuben was named after the creator -some dude named Reuben, evidently- who had submitted his sandwich to some type of sandwich-making contest, and his creation won.
Now, as to what goes into the properly assembled Reuben, here is my take:
Start with seedless Jewish rye bread and apply butter to one side.
Place that on the skillet which should be set to medium-low.
From there, it’s one slice of provolone cheese (not Swiss) several hearty slices of fresh corn beef, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing (not Russian) and then one more slice of provolone and the other piece of bread.
Let cook for about 8 minutes and then flip allowing another 8 minutes or so for the other side.
Serve with regular potato chips and kosher pickle.
Bon appetit!
Well, I know what I’m having for lunch today. Thanks alot guys.
the cafateria at my place of employment in the deep south used to serve a “ruben.” It was whole wheat bread toasted with ham and cole slaw!!!
disgusting
Umm, CKD, why could a Kosher deli NOT serve a sandwich with both meat & cheese, as long as the meat & cheese were prepared separately? Clearly, you could not cook a cheeseburger- with the meat & cheese on the same grill, but you could add cheese to an already cooked meat pattie. Now, of course, this would NOT be ordered by the Observant, but I ate in some VERY Kosher Delis in Santa Monica, and they had cheese on meat sandwiches. No “ham”, per se, altho they had just introduced a “turkey ham” sandwich, which has turkey smoked & seasoned so it tastes like ham. And they had beef “bacon”.
Kosher delis handle this in different ways. The one I frequent has a separate area for preparing milk dishes vs meat dishes, and actually doesn’t serve any milk dishes after 2 PM or so.
There’s another kosher deli nearby that has no milk dishes at all.
Are you suggesting that you order a meat sandwich, and order a cheese sandwich, and then put them together? Shudder… Kind of like, going into a vegetarian restaurant and bring your own hamburger. You would make the dishes traif (unclean). I’m sure the kosher delis would not permit it, but I’m not sure how they would stop it… I can try to inquire, but I suspect I’ll get strange looks.
Maybe some of the others here who are more kosher than I, and have had more experience with 'em, can elucidate.
Orthodox view point:
You cannot cook meat and milk together.
You cannot eat milk and meat together.
You cannot even derive any benefit from a meat/milk mixture. Thus, you cannot sell it, use it for fire fuel, feed it to your pet, etc.
You could not cook them seperately and then mix them.
In fact, Orthodox Jews generally have a waiting period (anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on your place of origin) between meat and milk.
As for the historicity (is that a valid word?) of the prohibition:
Orthodox Judaism believes that an oral explaination was provided to Moses together with the written text (Some of the commandments just make no sense without it). These oral explainations were eventually compiled into the Talmud. However, the overall milk/meat prohibition was there from Sinai.
Zev Steinhardt
CKdex & zev. no, I would not put the 2 together by myself, but-- are you serious? If I put a slice of cheese on my roastbeef sandwich, I have made the PLATE unclean? I thought it was only for cooking, or that’s the way it was explained to me. But, I am sure you guys are correct, but please clarify. Maybe, the Deli was Conservative instead of Orthodox. 
(You HAVE heard the one about the 3 rabbis & the Yamaha, right?)
Not only is the plate “unclean”, but it is an amazing ordeal to get it “clean” again. It involves burying it for an extended period of time (can’t quite remember how long). So don’t try it in a kosher deli, they won’t be impressed.
The vile concoction you describe is somtimes called a “Rachel Sandwich,” although that name is sometimes applied to a something actually edible, a Reuben made with sauerkraut (not coleslaw) and Pastrami (not corned beef).