Muffuletta

This article is about the Sicilian bread and the New Orleans sandwich made from it. For the crepe served after the holiday of Passover by Moroccan Jews, see mofletta.

Muffuletta

From top left, clockwise: muffuletta cross section, muffuletta in wrappers, special olive salad sold at Central Grocery, circular muffuletta loaves
Origin
Place of origin	Sicily / United States
Region or state	New Orleans, Louisiana
Creator(s)	Central Grocery 1906
Dish details
Course served	Main courses
Main ingredient(s)	one muffuletta loaf, marinated olive salad, layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, provolone

New Orleans portal

Central Grocery, the originator of the muffuletta.

The muffuletta is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread,^[1] as well as a submarine sandwich made with that bread that originated from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Bread

The bread is a large, round, and somewhat flattened loaf with a sturdy texture, around 10 inches (25 cm) across. It is described as being somewhat similar to focaccia.^{[citation needed]}

Sandwich

A traditional muffuletta consists of one muffuletta loaf, split horizontally. The loaf is then covered with a marinated olive salad, then layers of capicola, salami, pepperoni, emmentaler, ham and provolone. Although some restaurants will do their own take on these ingredients, a proper muffuletta must always have an olive spread and never contains cream cheese. The sandwich is sometimes heated through to soften the provolone.^[2] The size of the muffuletta is enough to feed more than one person, and many stores sell quarter or half-muffulettas.

The olive salad consists primarily of olives, along with celery, cauliflower and carrot, found in a jar of Giardiniera. The ingredients are combined, seasonings such as oregano and garlic, are added, covered in olive oil and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours.

Today, the Muffuletta has become the signature sandwich of New Orleans. Many people have developed their own Italian Olive Salad recipe for use on the Muffuletta sandwich. Restaurants, delis, and pizzarias now purchase food service quantities of Italian Olive Salad for use on their menu items. New Orleans' most popular pre-made Italian Olive Salad brands are Boscoli Family, Rouse's, Dorignac's, Frank's, and Aunt Sally's. You can find jars of Italian Olive Salad in various sizes at grocery stores, gourmet retailers, pizzerias, restaurants, delis and online.

Boscoli Family Italian Olive Salad

Origins

The muffuletta sandwich had its origins at Central Grocery, in the French Quarter of New Orleans.^[3] Marie's Melting Pot, the 1980 cookbook by Marie Lupo Tusa, daughter of Central Grocery's founder, traced the origin of the sandwich:^[4]

One of the most interesting aspects of my father's grocery is his unique creation, the muffuletta sandwich. The muffuletta was created in the early 1900's when the Farmers' Market was in the same area as the grocery. Most of the farmers who sold their produce there were Sicilian. Every day they used to come of my father's grocery for lunch. They would order some salami, some ham, a piece of cheese, a little olive salad, and either long braided Italian bread or round muffuletta bread. In typical Sicilian fashion they ate everything separately. The farmers used to sit on crates or barrels and try to eat while precariously balancing their small trays covered with food on their knees. My father suggested that it would be easier for the farmers if he cut the bread and put everything on it like a sandwich; even if it was not typical Sicilian fashion. He experimented and found that the thicker, braided Italian bread was too hard to bite but the softer round muffuletta was ideal for his sandwich. In very little time, the farmers came to merely ask for a "muffuletta" for their lunch.

Pronunciation and orthography

Like many of the foreign-influenced names found in New Orleans, the pronunciation of "muffuletta" has evolved from its phonetic forebear. Some locals pronounce the word "muff-uh-LOT-uh." The proprietors of Central Grocery pronounce it "moo-foo-LET-ta."^{[citation needed]}

Depending on the specific Sicilian dialect, the item may be spelled:

• muffuletta ^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

• mufuletta^[10]

• muffiletta^[6]

• mufiletta^[10]

• muffulettu^{[7][9][11][12]}

• muffuletu^[6]

• muffulittuni^[10]

• muffulitteḍḍu^[10]

The forms muffoletta and muffoletto are modern Italianisms of the original Sicilian. In addition, Americanized spellings of the word can also be found.

See also

• List of sandwiches

References

1. ^ Lempert, Phil (September 17, 2007). "Is the best sandwich in America the muffaletta?". Today. MSNBC. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20808465/. Retrieved 2010-05-10. "The secret ingredient, besides the special recipe for the sesame bread, is Central Grocery’s homemade olive spread." 
2. ^ Florio, Donna (January 2004). "Muffulettas". Southern Living (FindArticles). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3676/is_200401/ai_n9389724/. Retrieved 2006-04-19. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Food: Sandwiches: Eating From Hand to Mouth". Time. June 16, 1986. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,961621,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-10. "These in turn are the forerunners of the New Orleans muffuletta, a round hero full of Italian ham, salami, mortadella, provolone cheese and an oily olive, pepper and vegetable salad that is the specialty of the city's Central Grocery." 
4. ^ "Muffuletta Sandwich History". Marie's Melting Pot (1980, ISBN 0960706291). What's Cooking America. http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/Muffuletta.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-10. 
5. ^ Biblioteca del Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani, Issues 1-4‎ - Page 28 from Google Books
6. ^ ^{a b c} Introduzione allo studio del dialetto siciliano from Google Books
7. ^ ^{a b} Usi e costumi, credenze e pregiudizi del popolo siciliano ..., Volume 17‎ - Page 360 from Google Books
8. ^ La Sicilia e l'Immacolata: non solo 150 anni from Google Books
9. ^ ^{a b} Dizionario tascabile familiare siciliano-italiano from Google Books
10. ^ ^{a b c d} Lessico etimologico italiano: LEI, Volume 6, Part 1 from Google Books
11. ^ Vocabolario siciliano etimologico, italiano e latino, Volumes 4-5 from Google Books
12. ^ Nuovo dizionario siciliano-italiano, Volume 2 from Google Books