> Which type of protein is traditionally used on a Reuben sandwich?And the answer: corned beef.Photo credit: Beefitswhatsfordinner.com[https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes/recipe/55599/classic-beef-reuben-sandwich].The ingredients of a traditional Reuben sandwich are corned beef, sauerkraut,Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, piled between two slices of Rye bread. Whileit's widely accepted that the sandwich originated in the United States, thereare conflicting stories as to whether it was first created in New York City orin Omaha, Nebraska.Few would guess that a delicious sandwich would be the subject of hotlycontested debate; yet, in 2016 it was indeed the Reuben that captured theattention of food critics and Reuben-descendants alike. While it has become adistinctly American delicacy, there continues to be much debate as to its exactorigins.As one side of the story goes, Charles Schimmel opened a series of hotels in theMidwest in the early 20th century. In doing so, he trained each of his four sonsin an aspect of the business. One of such sons was Bernard Schimmel, who studiedin Switzerland as a chef before returning to Omaha to cook at one of hisfather's hotels. It was at the hotel that Bernard would often serve his father'spoker games for what they called a "midnight lunch." One of the players, ReubenKulakofsky (ahem, notice his first name), asked for a sandwich with corned beefand sauerkraut. According to granddaughter Elizabeth Weil's telling of the story[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/magazine/my-grandfather-invented-the-reuben-sandwich-right.html?searchResultPosition=1]: > In the kitchen, my grandfather, who spent the previous year perfecting hissauces and ice-carving skills, drained the sauerkraut and mixed it with ThousandIsland dressing. He layered that with homemade corned beef and Swiss cheese ondark rye bread and grilled it. His typewritten notes call for the sandwich to beserved with a sliced kosher dill pickle, a rose radish and potato chips. Thesandwich was a hit. Or so the story goes. The contested side, spearheaded by food critic AndrewSmith, argues that the Reuben is a uniquely New Yorkian delicacy. Instead of apassed-down family story, Smith's evidence rests on a 1941 cookbook whose pagescontain a recipe for a Reuben with “Rye Bread, Switzerland Cheese, Sliced CornBeef, Sauerkraut, Dressing.” Its author? A New York resident. While the debate has been intense, pressure to find the truth has led Weil toit: in 2016, the Nebraska Historical Society unearthed a 1937 menu offering a 50cent Reuben "with chicken." While the food critic Smith isn't happy with theaddition of chicken, apparently that's enough to settle the debate (for now). To learn more about the debacle, check out Weil's 2016 response to Smith here[https://www.saveur.com/reuben-sandwich-origin-history/].