In some countries, the word "torta" implies "cake," but in Mexico it often means sandwich. People of all ages enjoy tortas for lunch or as a snack, and they frequently pair them with an agua fresca, soft drink or beer.

"In Mexico, there is a torta shop on every corner," says Miguel Rojas, owner of La Torta Mexican Deli, which has two locations in La Mesa, Calif., and one in San Diego. "I've loved tortas ever since I was a little kid, and I opened my restaurant to share my love of tortas with America."

Tortas are influenced by the regions of Mexico where they are served. According to Dudley Nieto, executive chef at the San Gabriel Mexican Café in Bannockburn, Ill., tortas are most well-known in central and southern Mexico, Mexico City and Puebla, for example. "In those places, people are raised on tortas," he notes.

"The torta is the staple of the sandwich industry in Mexico," Nieto says. "Just about any city in Mexico has its own tradition of making tortas."

Nieto, for example, prefers his torta made Pueblo City-style. It is filled with leg of pork and ham, chimichurri, cheese, and fresh avocado. One side of the bun is spread with refried beans, and the other is drizzled with melted butter. Add some tomatoes and roasted poblano chiles, and you have a mouthwatering, napkin-inspiring lunch. "Your imagination can go on and on when it comes to making tortas," says Nieto.

As Rojas and other Mexican restaurant owners will tell you, bread is the secret behind a really good torta. These Hispanic sandwiches are sometimes made with baguettes that were introduced to Mexico by the French, but most restaurateurs prefer the softer bollilo, or the flatter telera.

As Americans' desire for sandwiches increases, the torta is emerging as one of the most promising stars of the Mexican food industry. Restaurant owners like them because they are fast and easy to prepare, and they return an excellent profit.

"Sandwiches are very profitable for foodservice operators," says Henkes. "The food costs for most sandwiches are in the 35 percent range."

"We sell between 900 and 950 tortas each week," explains Alex Salinas, who manages the Las Llardas Mexican Restaurant in Houston, Texas. The restaurant's most popular torta is the Cubana, which is bursting with ham, sausage, pork leg and breaded steak, and topped with onion, avocado, tomatoes and cheese. "Our tortas are made in the Mexico City style — with no lettuce," Salinas says. "All of our meats and vegetables are fresh, and our bread is made at a local bakery."

Until recently, tortas were commonly sandwiched between other menu items such as tacos and tostadas. But now, restaurants such as the San Gabriel Café are making room for more tortas on their menus. Some restaurants sell only tortas.

"Tortas are starting to be served at higher-end restaurants because of their good value," says Nieto. "They are fast, healthy and easy to make, and they give customers another option. They are also a good value, and they are easy to carry out."

The San Gabriel Café currently offers a few tortas on its lunch menu, and will be adding them to their dinner menu soon. "Every-body wants tortas," Nieto adds. "But they have to be fresh. You have to use fresh bread every day."

Freshness is a key reason sandwiches are experiencing such rapid growth, explains Henkes. "We are observing a longer trend toward healthier eating. What customers perceive as fresh they also perceive as healthy. If they can customize their sandwich or watch it being prepared, they assume that it is fresher, and therefore more nutritious."

Consumers are also demanding more ethnic variety, Henkes notes. "Whether it's Mexican, South American, Cuban or Asian, we are starting to see a lot of different flavor influences on the sandwich. Consumers are using sandwiches as a way to experiment with different tastes and bolder flavors."

Restaurants such as Las Llardas are responding to this trend by encouraging consumers to customize their tortas from a selection of meats, cheeses and toppings. Some of these special requests have been added to the restaurant's menu, including the Torta Hawaiian, made with pork, pineapple and cheese; and the Torta Chilanga, made with ham, beef, cheese and Mexican sausage.

Customers can also experiment with different tastes at La Torta Mexican Deli, which offers 35 takes on the torta. Selections range from the Veggie Torta made with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, avocado, sprouts and Italian dressing, to the perennial favorite, the best-selling La Torta Special dressed with turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese and avocado. All tortas come with "the works" — mayonnaise, lettuce tomatoes and onions — and are served on fresh telera bread that is baked in the oven just before serving and sliced into two halves. A fresh salsa bar is also available.

"I wanted to offer a torta for every taste," says Rojas. "The only thing I don't offer is tacos or burritos. If I did, people would not like me very much."

One of the most important keys to torta success, however, is to keep them simple. Says Salinas, "Be original, offer plenty of variety and use only the freshest ingredients."