“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear … Reuben sandwich?

Depending on which of several theories about the origin of the grilled gastronomic masterpiece made from corned beef, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, sauerkraut and rye bread you believe, this year may or may not mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Reuben sandwich.

According to New York legend, some food historians and at least one NYC tabloid, the popular sandwich was first whipped up in 1914 by New York deli owner Arnold Reuben in his then-famous but now-defunct midtown Manhattan eatery, Reuben’s Restaurant.

“Late one evening a leading lady of Charlie Chaplin’s came into the restaurant and said, ‘Reuben, make me a sandwich, make it a combination. I’m so hungry I could eat a brick,’” Reuben’s daughter, Patricia R. Taylor, wrote Craig Claiborne of The New York Times in 1976. “He took a loaf of rye bread, cut two slices on the bias and stacked one piece with sliced baked Virginia ham, sliced roast turkey, sliced imported Swiss cheese, topped it off with cole slaw and lots of Reuben’s special Russian dressing and the second slice of bread … He served it to the lady who said, ‘Gee, Reuben, this is the best sandwich I ever ate. You ought to call it an Annette Seelos Special.’ To which he replied, ‘Like hell I will. I’ll call it a Reuben’s Special.’””

Complete story on Food Network

This article appeared on The Food Network site. This is an excerpt. Copyright The Food Network.