What Is a Muffaletta Sandwich?

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One of the wonderful things about this job is discovering new and exciting aspects of the food world of which I was previously unaware. I’ve been roaming the Earth for dozens of years totally ignorant of the wonders of the muffaletta sandwich! What a fool I was! Well, fear not, folks, because not only am I up to speed on this delicious New Orleans sandwich, but I’m here to spread the gospel far and wide. 

Today, we’ll be talking all about the muffaletta, so there’s really nuffa-ing left to say but letta me begin! (Sorry gang, you know I had to go for it.) So, what is a muffaletta sandwich? You’re about to find out.

What is a muffaletta sandwich? What is in a muffaletta sandwich?

A muffaletta isn’t just a word that’s fun to say, it is a world-famous Italian-style sandwich invented in New Orleans—specifically, it was invented at the Central Grocery, where you can still buy one today. It’s huge and round and often served in wedges. It’s a layered sandwich that consists of cured Italian deli meats such as salami, soppressata, bologna, mortadella, coppa, or prosciutto, as well as provolone cheese, and olive salad, and it’s served on a special bread, which we will talk about more later. 

The trademark olive salad typically incorporates a smattering of chopped green and black olives, along with other bits of pickley things like capers and pepperoncini, as well as chopped carrots, celery, and onions, all in olive oil.

What is muffaletta bread?

We told you we’d circle back to discuss this triumph of carbohydrates! Muffuletta bread is a wide, round, flat loaf, covered in sesame seeds. It’s soft—the crust has give, it’s not crunchy—and it’s a bit like if focaccia and ciabatta had a bready baby. It was created in 1906 at Central Grocery in New Orleans by delicatessen owner Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant. 

Sadly, it’s tough to find muffaletta bread in the wild at your local grocery store or market. So, your next best bet is to purchase some ciabatta or focaccia and pass it off to your less discerning lunch guests. Your secret will be safe as far as we’re concerned, but we’d rather not have to appear at a court date, so make sure your friends aren’t too litigious over relatively petty matters, such as the validity of breads!

How to pronounce muffaletta correctly?

Let’s do this cheerleader style. Gimme a Muh! Gimme a Fuh! Gimme a Leh! Gimme a Tuh! What’s that spell? Muffaletta! (The crowd goes wild, you spike a full muffaletta sandwich into the ground, and do your patented touchdown dance.) Anyway, it’s muh-fuh-leh-tuh.