Muffuletta Sandwich From Central Grocery

April 15th, 2008 · 8 Comments

Central Grocery, French Quarter, New Orleans

Unlike my last muffuletta in New Orleans, this time we decided to go straight to the source: Central Grocery. It’s a small, old-fashioned Italian deli that created the muffuletta sandwich in 1906.

Muffuletta, New Orleans

The muffuletta consists of one Italian muffuletta bread loaf split horizontally in half and covered with marinated olive salad and layers of capiocola, salami, mortadella, emmental cheese and provolone cheese. And it’s huge. Central sells the sandwich by the half or the whole and the whole is for sure enough for two people. The olive salad is the key to the sandwich and is made of olives, celery, cauliflower and carrot. Combine all that, mix in seasonings and olive oil and let it sit for a day or more.

Muffuletta, New Orleans

Central Grocery’s muffuletta was so very tasty, but both of us did not finish it. New Orleans is one place that we surely do not go hungry!

Tags: central grocery·French Quarter·muffuletta·new orleans

8 responses so far ↓

1 Paddy C // Apr 15, 2008 at 10:08 am

God that looks good. Any more info you can provide on the olive salad (ie what the seasonings are etc.) as I would love to make that.
2 RachelleB // Apr 15, 2008 at 10:29 am

Hey, Paddy - I’m not sure what the seasonings are. I was just going off what I read online. I do know you can by the olive salad itself from Central Grocery. I don’t see it online, though.
3 Ray // Apr 15, 2008 at 3:50 pm

I know that this is a hard sandwich to duplicate…but, last summer, I bought some “muffaletta spread” (read: bottled olive salad) at the Farmer’s Market at the Dirksen, and let me tell you, that was one tasty sandwich. I bought the same deli meats as the one’s Rachelle lists above….had to use ciabatta, as I could not find muffaletta bread. Tasty!
4 Mike // Apr 15, 2008 at 3:56 pm

I first went there when I was 15, in 1988. Sandwich was good, but so was something else: Cajun Cola. Cola with blackening spices. Awesome. I’ve searched for it everywhere, and Central Grocery doesn’t have it anywhere else. Dang.
5 Tom // Apr 16, 2008 at 4:37 pm

Go to cobblestone Bar and grill for the best Muffuletta you will ever have. Get the Italian. They are only open for lunch. 514 West Pershing Road, Chicago, IL 60609
Tel: 773-624-3630
Honestly, the best sandwich around.
6 Richard // Apr 16, 2008 at 5:01 pm

That looks amazingly good.
7 Paddy C // Apr 17, 2008 at 7:54 am

Google is a friend. Why do I keep forgetting that?

Here’s a recipe:

http://neworleanscuisine.blogspot.com/2005/03/muffuletta-olive-salad-recipe.html
8 Steve // Aug 17, 2008 at 3:43 am

Mark Lane, a former resident of NO and my friend since 1966, told me about this. He knew all the finest restaurants of NO. He had lived there for a few years in the 60s. Though he didn’t warn me of the incredible experience of savoring a Muffuletta from the Central Grocery, he told me that I was in for something very special. I had no idea how special it would be. I credit Mark Lane, who knows NO cuisine, with being the expert. I am grateful for the work that you do there. I love the Muffuletta.

SSJ
Los Angeles, CA

PS: Why we don’t have a branch here, I’ll never know.