Muffuletta

This article is about the Sicilian bread and the sandwich made from it. For the Mimouna crepe, see mofletta.

Muffuletta
Clockwise from top left: muffuletta cross section; muffuletta in wrappers; muffuletta-style olive salad; and circular muffuletta loaves
Alternative namesMuffaletta
CourseMain course
Place of origin
  • Italy (bread)
  • United States (sandwich)
Region or state
Main ingredientsBread: wheat flour, water, eggs, olive oil, yeast, salt, sugar
Sandwich: marinated muffuletta-style olive salad, layers of mortadella, salami, Swiss cheese, ham, provolone

Muffuletta or muffaletta is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread,[1] as well as a popular sandwich, created by a Sicilian immigrant to the United States, that was popularized in the city of New Orleans.

Etymology, pronunciation, and orthography

The name is believed to be a diminutive form of muffe ('mold', 'mushroom'), perhaps due to the round sandwich bread being reminiscent of a mushroom cap; or from muffola, 'muff', 'mitten'.[2][3] The forms muffoletta and its iterations are modern Italianisms of the original Sicilian. Like many of the foreign-influenced terms found in New Orleans, pronunciation has evolved from a phonetic forebear.

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

The muffuletta is somewhat similar to the pan bagnat sandwich of Nice, France.[12]

History

The muffuletta bread has origins in Sicily, Italy.[13]

The muffuletta sandwich is said to have been created in 1906 at Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., by its delicatessen owner Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant.[14][15] Sicilian immigrant Biaggio Montalbano, who was a delicatessen owner in New Orleans, is credited with invention of the Roma Sandwich, which may have been a forerunner of the muffuletta.[16] Another Italian-style New Orleans delicatessen, Progress Grocery Co., originally opened in 1924 by the Perrone family, claims the origin of the muffuletta is uncertain.[17]

The traditional-style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf[18] split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated muffuletta-style olive salad,[19] salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella.[20] Quarter, half, and full-sized muffulettas are sold.[21][22]

The signature olive salad is a chopped salad made from green olives, black olives, olive oil, celery, cauliflower, carrots, sweet peppers, onions, capers, parsley, peperoncini, oregano, garlic, vinegar, herbs and spices. It is a "piquant salad" used as a spread.[23] The celery, cauliflower and carrots are commonly found in the pickled form known as giardiniera.[24] Capers and lemon juice may also be included.[25] It is commercially produced for restaurants and for retail sale.[26]

Muffuletta is usually served cold, but many vendors will toast it.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lempert, Phil (September 17, 2007). "Is the best sandwich in America the muffaletta?". Today. MSNBC. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2010. The secret ingredient, besides the special recipe for the sesame bread, is Central Grocery's homemade olive spread.
  2. ^ Ayto, John (October 18, 2012). The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199640249 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Soukhanov, Anne H. (June 10, 2010). "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, 3rd Ed, Auto-Graphic, Inc,: Dictionary of English Language". Bukupedia – via Google Books.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b c Avolio, Corrado (1882). Introduzione allo studio del dialetto siciliano: tentativo d'applicazione del metodo storico-comparativo (in Italian). Uff. Tip. di Fr. Zammit. p. 59 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b c d Pfister, Max (1997). Lessico etimologico italiano (in Italian). Vol. 6. Reichert. p. 441. ISBN 978-3-89500-019-5.
  6. ^ Biblioteca del Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani: Issues 1–4 (in Italian). 1977. p. 28 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Pitrè, Giuseppe (1889). Usi e costumi, credenze e pregiudizi del popolo siciliano (in Italian). Vol. 17. L. P. Lauriel di C. Clausen. p. 360 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Ciccarelli, Diego; Valenza, Marisa Dora, eds. (2006). La Sicilia e l'Immacolata: non solo 150 anni. Collana Franciscana (in Italian). Vol. 15. Officina di Studi Medievali. p. 39. ISBN 978-88-88615-96-7 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b Dizionario tascabile familiare siciliano-italiano (in Italian). Vol. 1. Palermo: Stamperia Spampinato. 1840. p. 66 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Pasqualino, Michele (1790). Vocabolario siciliano etimologico, italiano e latino (in Italian). Vol. 4–5. Reale Stamperia. p. 26 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Mortillaro, Vincenzo, ed. (1844). Nuovo dizionario siciliano-italiano (in Italian). Vol. 2. Tip. del Giornale letterario. p. 75 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Hertzberg, J.; Franรงois, Z.; Gross, S.S. (2013). The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking. St. Martin's Press. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-250-01828-1. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  13. ^ "An Inman Square Gem Will Serve Gigantic Sandwiches at Fenway's New Food Hall". boston.eater.com. June 26, 2019.
  14. ^ Orchant, Rebecca (February 12, 2013). "The Muffuletta: New Orleans' Original Italian Sandwich". Food & Drink. Huffington Post.
  15. ^ "1906: The muffuletta is created in New Orleans". Times-Picayune. NOLA Media Group. October 10, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011.
  16. ^ "Biaggio Montalbano". myneworleans.com. New Orleans Magazine. March 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  17. ^ "Our History". perroneandsons.com.
  18. ^ "Leidenheimer Baking Company". www.leidenheimer.com.
  19. ^ "Looking for a summer snack? Try these two spreads: pimento cheese and muffuletta-style olive salad". tampabay.com. July 8, 2019.
  20. ^ "Best Muffulettas in the French Quarter and Nearby". FrenchQuarter.com.
  21. ^ a b Squires, Kathleen (April 21, 2016). "The 5 Best Muffuletta Sandwiches in New Orleans" – via www.wsj.com.
  22. ^ "Muffuletta". Williams Sonoma.
  23. ^ "Olive Salad". Williams-Sonoma. 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023. This piquant salad is an essential ingredient for the classic New Orleans sandwich known as muffuletta.
  24. ^ Zeitz, Alexandra; Deutsch, Jonathan; Fulton, Benjamin (2018). We Eat What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9781440841125.
  25. ^ Weeks, Kevin D. (December 6, 2022). "Muffaletta Sandwich". The Spruce Eats. New York City. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  26. ^ Lawrence, Amy; Fox Burks, Justin (May 30, 2020). "Muffuletta Salad". Washington Post. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
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