A medianoche is a type of sandwich that originated in Havana, Cuba and is now served in many Cuban-American communities in the United States. It is so named because of the sandwich's popularity as a staple served in Havana's night clubs right around or after midnight.

A medianoche consists of roast pork, ham, mustard, swiss cheese, and dill pickles. It is a close cousin to the Cuban sandwich

Cuban sandwich

A Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese originally created in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Cuba and in the early Cuban immigrant communities of Florida: Key West and Ybor City, Tampa. Later on, Cuban exiles and expatriates brought it to Miami where it is also still very popular...

, the chief difference being that a medianoche is made on soft, sweet egg dough bread similar to Challah

Challah

Challah also khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka , vánočka , zopf and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten on...

 rather than on crustier Cuban bread

Cuban bread

Cuban bread is a fairly simple white bread, similar to French bread and Italian bread, but has a slightly different baking method and ingredient list ; it is usually made in long, baguette-like loaves...

 and does not contain salami. Like the Cuban sandwich, the medianoche is typically warmed in a press before eating.

In the fictional "Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is a 2004 novel by Jeff Lindsay, the first in his series about serial killer Dexter Morgan. It has formed the basis of the Showtime television series Dexter and won the 2005 Dilys Award and the 2007 'Book to TV' award....

" series by author Jeff Lindsay

Jeff Lindsay (writer)

Jeff Lindsay is the pen name of American playwright and crime novelist Jeffry P. Freundlich , best known for his novels about sociopathic vigilante Dexter Morgan. Many of his earlier published works include his wife Hilary Hemingway as a co-author. His wife is the niece of Ernest Hemingway and an...

, the title character often eats medianoche sandwiches.