Muffuletta

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Muffuletta
Centralcollage.jpg
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
  •   Commons-logo.svg Media: Muffuletta

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.

Contents

Etymology, pronunciation, and orthography

The name is believed to be a diminutive form of muffi ('mold', 'mushroom'), perhaps due to the round sandwich bread being reminiscent of a mushroom cap; more likely from mùffula, 'muff', 'mitten'. [2] Another theory suggests a possible French origin, considering that the word "mou" in French means "soft", referring to the tender and spongy texture of the bread. An alternative hypothesis points to a Saxon origin, due to the similarity with the English word "muffin", which refers to a small cake or bun, also known for its soft consistency. 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. [11]

History

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. [12] [13] 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. [14] 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. [15]

The traditional-style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf [16] split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated muffuletta-style olive salad, [17] salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella. [18] Quarter, half, and full-sized muffulettas are sold. [19] [20]

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. [21] Celery, cauliflower, and carrots are commonly found in the pickled form known as giardiniera . [22] Capers and lemon juice may also be included. [23] It is commercially produced for restaurants and for retail sale. [24]

Muffuletta is usually served cold, but many vendors will toast it. [19]

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. 1 2 3 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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Pfister, Max (1997). Lessico etimologico italiano (in Italian). Vol. 6. Reichert. p.  441. ISBN   978-3-89500-019-5.
  5. ↑ Biblioteca del Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani: Issues 1–4 (in Italian). 1977. p. 28 – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 Dizionario tascabile familiare siciliano-italiano (in Italian). Vol. 1. Palermo: Stamperia Spampinato. 1840. p.  66 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Pasqualino, Michele (1790). Vocabolario siciliano etimologico, italiano e latino (in Italian). Vol. 4–5. Reale Stamperia. p.  26 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Mortillaro, Vincenzo, ed. (1844). Nuovo dizionario siciliano-italiano (in Italian). Vol. 2. Tip. del Giornale letterario. p.  75 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Orchant, Rebecca (February 12, 2013). "The Muffuletta: New Orleans' Original Italian Sandwich". Food & Drink. Huffington Post.
  13. ↑ "1906: The muffuletta is created in New Orleans". Times-Picayune. NOLA Media Group. October 10, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Biaggio Montalbano". myneworleans.com. New Orleans Magazine. March 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Our History". perroneandsons.com.
  16. ↑ "Leidenheimer Baking Company". www.leidenheimer.com.
  17. ↑ "Looking for a summer snack? Try these two spreads: pimento cheese and muffuletta-style olive salad". tampabay.com. July 8, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Best Muffulettas in the French Quarter and Nearby". FrenchQuarter.com.
  19. 1 2 Squires, Kathleen (April 21, 2016). "The 5 Best Muffuletta Sandwiches in New Orleans" – via www.wsj.com.
  20. ↑ "Muffuletta". Williams Sonoma.
  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.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ Weeks, Kevin D. (December 6, 2022). "Muffaletta Sandwich". The Spruce Eats. New York City . Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  24. ↑ Lawrence, Amy; Fox Burks, Justin (May 30, 2020). "Muffuletta Salad". Washington Post . Retrieved October 24, 2023.
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