The muffuletta is the official New Orleans sandwich, at least it is in my opinion. Italian immigrants are rumored to have established the sandwich at the Central Grocery long ago, where it remains popular to this day. Sure, there are other ‘Nawlins sandwiches such as the “po’ boy”, which is a mighty fine sandwich in its own right, but I like the briny olivey goodness of the olive spread and the Italian cold cuts. This sandwich is reasonably easy to pull together with straightforward ingredients which are likely lurking about in your pantry and ice box. Also, the olive spread can be assembled well in advance and actually tastes better the longer it marinates about.

While the recipe below specifies certain cheeses and meats, you will soon see that the olive spread plays well with an assortment of your favorite meats and cheese available at your local deli. Also, the bread is traditionally a large (frisbee size) disk of medium density bread. This is not always available, so you may have to improvise with a nice french roll or loaf in lieu of the frisbee. Don’t worry, it will be delicious!