MUFFULETTA SANDWICH

A Muffoletta Loaf

Brief History of The Bread.

Muffoletta bread refers to a special kind of bread. The bread originated in Sicily hundreds of years ago. The bread has a unique shape, with a softer crust and denser interior than most Italian bread. Its form and texture make it ideal for filling and for sandwiches.

Because it is unique, the muffoletta bread is often difficult to find, and many bakers use the muffoletta name for bread that is not made in accordance with the authentic recipe.

Sicilian Roots

Authentic muffoletta bread originated in Sicily hundreds of years ago. Ingredients include the standard ones for making Italian bread: flour, water, yeast, salt, shortening and sugar, plus fennel or sesame seeds for the top.

Shape and form

The authentic muffoletta bread from Sicily is baked with a softer crust and a denser interioir than ‘normal’ Italian loaves. Its shape is round (about 10″ diameter) and lower in height than ‘normal’ loaves. Fennel or sesame seeds usually top the loaves. (Fennel seeds often top the muffoletta loaf in Sicily, where the bread was invented, while sesame seeds usually top the muffoletta in the U.S.)

The authentic muffoletta is a pure bread. That is, the ingredients consist only of flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt, shortening and (for the top) fennel or sesame seeds. The bread’s ingredients do not include hard wheat, brown flour, olives, rosemary or any of the other exotic additions often added by many artisan bakers.

Note: Traditional French and Italian breads are made with the identical ingredients in essentially the same way. The major difference between them is their shape: French bread tends to a long and round shape, like the baguette, while Italian tends to a round and thick shape, like the ciobatta.

Like all great breads, the muffoletta should be enjoyed and eaten on the same day it is baked. The flavor peaks within a few hours if not minutes after being removed from the oven. The texture of the bread reflects the warmth with a soft exterior which contrasts with the dense interior.

Shaped for Filling

The shape of the muffoletta bread makes it ideal for stuffing. The bread is round, thin and dense.

In Sicily, residents fill the bread with cheese, fish or meat. In New Orleans, Sicilian immigrants in 1906 created the famous sandwich with the bread, filling it with olive salad, meats and cheeses. Because the bread is so dense, it absorbs the oil in the olive salad. As a result, the sandwich retains the liquid ingredients without leaking. Most Italian loaves lack the density to absorb the olive salad.

The Famous MUFFULETTA SANDWICH

of NEW ORLEANS

Filled with Salami, Cheese, Mortadella, and Olive Salad

This is 1/4 of a MUFFULETTA SANDWICH

at The CENTRAL GROCERY Where This Sandwich was Invented

By S. LUPO a SICILIAN IMMIGRANT o NEW ORLEANS

Back around 1906

READ About Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s

DECATUR STREET TRIPLE HEADER

On theDannyReport

Unlike other Italian Bread

For customers in many parts of the world, including the U.S., the surface and texture of the original muffoletta bread are unusual. The exterior is softer and its interior is denser than customers expect. Therefore, bakers today often use a different recipe to make a loaf which they call a muffoletta but which does not have the characteristic exterior or interior. Most so-called muffoletta recipes produce a harder crust and lighter interior than the softer, denser original.

A LOAF of SICILIAN MUFFOLETTA

GRANDMA BELLINO’S COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

DANIEL BELLINO “Z”

The SANDWICH

The authentic muffoletta sandwich from New Orleans requires the original ingredient: the authentic muffoletta bread (see above); the authentic muffoletta olive salad (see above); mortadella (the Italian sausage); cappicola (the Italian ham); salami (the hard Genoa salami); provolone (the Italian hard cheese); and emmanetaler (the hard Swiss cheese).

The original sandwich was constructed so that the bread retains all the fillings for several hours without leaking.

Recall the history: the Central Grocery made the sandwiches very early in the morning. The Sicilian farmers in New Orleans purchased the sandwiches to eat at mid-day. Because the muffoletta bread is dense, the bread absorbed the olive oil and did not leak. In addition, because the sandwich was not eaten for several hours, the many flavors of the salad, meats and cheeses melded together and grew complex.

As for the salad, hundreds of recipes for the muffoletta sandwich can be found on the Internet. However, a review of many of the recipes shows that few of them are authentic. Many include non-traditional ingredients, like lettuce, tomatoes and mayonaisse. The key to the muffoletta sandwich is simplicity of ingredients, whichi produce a complexity of textures and flavors.

Inside a CENTRAL GROCERY MUFFULETTA

Nobody makes a MUFULLETTA SANDWICH anywhere near as good as at the Originator of this Awesome Sandwich. A word of warning if you go there to get one, and you should. The Sandwich is Incredible and its fun to sit in the old Italian Groceria where the sandwich was invented and became famous. However, the owner of the place is the Most Miserable Bastard you could ever want to come across, really miserable. He has the personality of a DEAD FISH, I kid you not, just look on YELP and you’ll see all the bad reviews of his horrible demeanor. This being said, don’t let it bother you. Simply go in, wait on line, order a half or whole MUFFULETTA, pay for it, get your sandwich and sit down and enjoy, you want have to deal with the A-HOLE again, and you will be eating one of the World’s Great Sandwiches. Hey there’s a price to pay for everything.