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:
There are similarities between the muffuletta and the pan bagnat sandwich, which comes from
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 (
Wikidata), 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]
A muffuletta is usually served cold, but many vendors will toast it.[21]
^"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.