Famous New Orleans Easy Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe | The Pure Taste (2024)

FAQs

What is the original muffuletta sandwich? ›

The traditional-style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated muffuletta-style olive salad, salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella. Quarter, half, and full-sized muffulettas are sold.

A muffaletta is a famous italian sandwich invented in New Orleans with cured meats (ham and salami), provolone cheese, olive dressing and great bread. The olive dressing sports chopped green and black olives with onions and olive oil and spices, and the bread is a round sesame-seed roll big enough for sharing.

True muffuletta bread is a wide, round, flat loaf, covered in sesame seeds, with a soft crust and a texture somewhere between focaccia and ciabatta. It's not commonly made anywhere else in the country (or the world, as far as I know), but your next best bet is to use some good soft ciabatta or focaccia.

This legendary sandwich was invented at one of the city's oldest markets, the Central Grocery. Sicilian immigrants working at the nearby farmer's market would buy salami, ham, cheese, olive salad and Muffuletta bread (a soft round loaf that the sandwich takes its name from) and eat them separately.

Note that the muffulettas are served hot unless requested cold. “I bought a very expensive specialized oven just to heat them up,” said Mr. Link. “It has a combination of steam and heat which melts the cheese and highlights the flavors of the meat.” (Whole muffuletta: $12, 930 Tchoupitoulas St.; cochonbutcher.com).

A po' boy (also po-boy, po boy derived from the non-rhotic southern accents often heard in the region, or poor boy) is a sandwich originally from Louisiana. It traditionally consists of meat, which is usually roast beef, ham, or fried seafood such as shrimp, crawfish, fish, oysters, or crab.

This Louisiana staple varies depending on the restaurant and town, but typically, a classic poboy includes toasted French bread stuffed with some type of fried meat, and the sandwich is “dressed” with tomatoes, romaine lettuce, pickles, mayonnaise and a generous spread of hot sauce for a Creole “kick.”

The muffoletta (or muffuletta, moffoletta, muffoletto, muffulietta, depending on the dialect) derives its name from Sicilian dialect that means 'soft and spongy bread'.

Word History and Origins

Origin of muffuletta¹. First recorded in 1965–70; from Sicilian dialect, from Italian muffoletta “a round hollow-centered loaf of bread,” derivative of muffola “mitten,” from French moufle; muff ( def ), muffle ¹( def )

Who made the original muffuletta? ›

Salvatore Lupo, of Central Grocery store, who is widely credited with making the first muffaletta sandwich in 1906.

In 1971, Don and Dolores Dissman founded the company in a "small, hole-in-the-wall shop" in Austin, Texas, on South Congress. The initial menu consisted of one sandwich, called "The Original," consisting of mixed meats, cheeses and black olives on a freshly made, toasted bun." It was based on the muffuletta sandwich.

This simple muffuletta spread is reminiscent of a classic New Orleans muffuletta sandwich. It can be served on crackers, toasted bagels, or crostini. It's also a nice addition to a pasta salad, a cheese board, or spooned onto grilled fish, pork, or chicken.

A po' boy (also po-boy, po boy derived from the non-rhotic southern accents often heard in the region, or poor boy) is a sandwich originally from Louisiana. It traditionally consists of meat, which is usually roast beef, ham, or fried seafood such as shrimp, crawfish, fish, oysters, or crab.

In 1762, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich®, invented the meal that changed dining forever. As the story goes, he was playing cards and did not want to leave the gaming table to eat. He asked for a serving of roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat with his hands.