Muffuletta Explained

Muffuletta
Alternate Name:Muffaletta
Country:
Region:
Course:Main course
Main Ingredient:Bread: wheat flour, water, eggs, olive oil, yeast, salt, sugar
Sandwich: marinated muffuletta-style olive salad, layers of mortadella, salami, Swiss cheese, ham, provolone

The muffuletta or muffaletta is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread[1] and a popular sandwich that originated in Sicily.

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]

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

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Is the best sandwich in America the muffaletta? . https://web.archive.org/web/20071109095901/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20808465/ . live . November 9, 2007 . Phil . Lempert. . . September 17, 2007. 2010-05-10. The secret ingredient, besides the special recipe for the sesame bread, is Central Grocery’s homemade olive spread..
  2. Book: Ayto, John. The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink. October 18, 2012. OUP Oxford. 9780199640249. Google Books.
  3. Web site: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, 3rd Ed, Auto-Graphic, Inc,: Dictionary of English Language. Anne H.. Soukhanov. June 10, 2010. Bukupedia. Google Books.
  4. Book: Pfister, Max . 1997 . . Reichert . 6 . 1 . it . [{{Google books|4CzqAAAAMAAJ|keywords=mufiletta|plainurl=yes}} 441] . 978-3-89500-019-5 .
  5. Book: 1977 . [{{Google books|jBJdAAAAMAAJ|keywords=muffuletta siciliano|plainurl=yes}} Biblioteca del Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani: Issues 1–4 ]. it . 28 . Google Books .
  6. Book: Avolio, Corrado . 1882 . [{{Google books|PFJAAAAAYAAJ|plainurl=yes}} Introduzione allo studio del dialetto siciliano: tentativo d'applicazione del metodo storico-comparativo ]. Uff. Tip. di Fr. Zammit . it . [{{Google books|PFJAAAAAYAAJ|page=59|keywords=muffiletta siciliano|plainurl=yes}} 59] . Google Books .
  7. Book: Pitrè, Giuseppe . 1889 . [{{Google books|seaBAAAAMAAJ|plainurl=yes}} Usi e costumi, credenze e pregiudizi del popolo siciliano ]. 17 . L. P. Lauriel di C. Clausen . [{{Google books|seaBAAAAMAAJ|page=360|keywords=muffuletta siciliano|plainurl=yes}} 360] . it . Google Books .
  8. Book: Ciccarelli . Diego . Valenza . Marisa Dora . 2006 . [{{Google books|WI8j4eAz1LsC|plainurl=yes}} La Sicilia e l'Immacolata: non solo 150 anni ]. Officina di Studi Medievali . Collana Franciscana . 15 . it . 978-88-88615-96-7 . [{{Google books|WI8j4eAz1LsC|page=39|keywords=muffuletta|plainurl=yes}} 39] . Google Books .
  9. Book: 1840 . [{{Google books|FsUDAAAAQAAJ|plainurl=yes}} Dizionario tascabile familiare siciliano-italiano ]. 1 . Palermo . Stamperia Spampinato . it . [{{Google books|FsUDAAAAQAAJ|page=66|keywords=muffulettu|plainurl=yes}} 66] . Google Books .
  10. Book: Pasqualino, Michele . 1790 . [{{Google books|SSoSAAAAIAAJ|plainurl=yes}} Vocabolario siciliano etimologico, italiano e latino ]. 4-5 . Reale Stamperia . it . [{{Google books|SSoSAAAAIAAJ|page=26|keywords=muffulettu|plainurl=yes}} 26] . Google Books .
  11. Book: Mortillaro . Vincenzo . 1844 . [{{Google books|vBs9AAAAYAAJ|plainurl=yes}} Nuovo dizionario siciliano-italiano ]. 2 . Tip. del Giornale letterario . it . [{{Google books|vBs9AAAAYAAJ|page=75|keywords=muffulettu|plainurl=yes}} 75] . Google Books .
  12. Book: Hertzberg . J. . Franรงois . Z. . Gross . S.S. . The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking . St. Martin's Press . 2013 . 978-1-250-01828-1 . May 27, 2016 . 101.
  13. Web site: An Inman Square Gem Will Serve Gigantic Sandwiches at Fenway's New Food Hall. boston.eater.com. June 26, 2019.
  14. News: Orchant . Rebecca . 12 February 2013 . The Muffuletta: New Orleans' Original Italian Sandwich . Huffington Post . Food & Drink .
  15. News: 10 October 2011 . 1906: The muffuletta is created in New Orleans . Times-Picayune . NOLA Media Group . https://web.archive.org/web/20111105233353/http://www.nola.com/175years/index.ssf/2011/10/1906_the_muffuletta_is_created.html . dead . 5 November 2011 .
  16. Web site: Biaggio Montalbano . myneworleans.com . March 2008 . New Orleans Magazine . 21 February 2022.
  17. Web site: Our History. perroneandsons.com.
  18. Web site: Leidenheimer Baking Company. www.leidenheimer.com.
  19. Web site: Looking for a summer snack? Try these two spreads: pimento cheese and muffuletta-style olive salad. tampabay.com. July 8, 2019.
  20. Web site: Best Muffulettas in the French Quarter and Nearby. FrenchQuarter.com.
  21. Web site: The 5 Best Muffuletta Sandwiches in New Orleans. Kathleen. Squires. 21 April 2016. www.wsj.com.
  22. Web site: Muffuletta. Williams Sonoma.
  23. Web site: Olive Salad . 2023 . . October 24, 2023 . This piquant salad is an essential ingredient for the classic New Orleans sandwich known as muffuletta. .
  24. Book: Zeitz . Alexandra . Deutsch . Jonathan . Fulton. Benjamin . We Eat What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States . Greenwood Publishing Group. 2018. 9781440841125 .
  25. News: Weeks . Kevin D. . Muffaletta Sandwich . The Spruce Eats . . December 6, 2022 . October 24, 2023 .
  26. News: Lawrence . Amy. Fox Burks . Justin . Muffuletta Salad . . May 30, 2020. October 24, 2023 .

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