The muffaletta is both the name of a round, seeded Italian bread with Sicilian roots and the iconic sandwich that originated in New Orleans.
In 1906, Lupo Salvadore, a Sicilian immigrant, opened Central Grocery on Decatur Street in the French Quarter. Many of the produce peddlers, truck farmers, and laborers who worked near the French Market were also Italian and Sicilian. For lunch, they would come to Central Grocery and order sliced Italian meats, cheese, olives, and pickled vegetables, along with a loaf of muffaletta bread.
Lupo had an idea—why not put everything inside the bread instead of eating it separately? And just like that, the muffaletta sandwich was born.
You can pick up one of Central Grocery’s famous muffalettas at select Rouses Markets in Louisiana:
📍 701 Baronne Street, New Orleans
📍 3461 East Causeway Approach, Mandeville
📍 2900 Veterans Blvd., Metairie
