This New Orleans Sandwich Needs To Go National

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You’ll need a serious appetite for this monster of a sandwich. A muffuletta is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread that’s probably bigger than your head — about 10 inches across — and it’s kind of flat. You might compare it to focaccia bread. The outside is crispy and the inside is soft, just like a heavier French bread. A muffuletta is more than just a type of bread, it’s also the name of a legendary New Orleans sandwich that’s giant enough to feed a whole family.

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The popular sandwich originated among Italian immigrants at a specialty market in New Orleans called Central Grocery, back in 1906. The owner, Salvatore Lupo, invented the muffuletta when he noticed his customers having a tough time balancing all of their lunch ingredients separately. Lupo figured, why not throw all the salami, cheese and olives into one sandwich and call it a day. Traditionally the bread is split horizontally and packed with layers upon layers of marinated olive salad, salami, mozzarella, ham, mortadella and provolone. HEART HEALTHY, INDEED. You can get the full-sized sandwich for a group or a quarter-sized piece for yourself.

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The trademark olive salad is made with diced olives, celery, cauliflower and carrot. All of these ingredients are found in giardiniera, an Italian relish of pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil, that’s seasoned with oregano, garlic and marinated for at least 24 hours. It can be served hot or cold, but the OG muffuletta is served at room temperature. The toasting process messes with the whole texture of the sandwich. It’s basically an antipasto platter bundled in between sesame bread.

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Even though Central Grocery did it first, the muffuletta has spread to sandwich shops across New Orleans. If you can’t travel to NOLA, the store does ship the massive sandwich around the country for a hefty price. You can get a 2-pack (serves 6 to 8 people) for $109 and have a muffuletta party of your own.

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In New Orleans, you’ll find region-specific twists on the classic sandwich like the seafood muffuletta. Instead of the traditional olive salad, it’ll have fried oysters, shrimp, catfish and soft-shell crab. You’ll also find classic po’boy toppings on this bad boy like melted butter, sliced pickles, tomatoes and lettuce.

There’s no reason why this hefty sandwich wouldn’t be popular all over the country, but New Orleans can keep it safe in the meantime.