The secrets behind Louisiana’s famous sandwich

This story was originally published in February 2024.

Let’s go back until the 1900s. It was a new era of innovation and immigration. New Orleans’ Italian population was so high that parts of the city were called “Little Italy.”

Around this time, Salvatore Lupo and his Sicilian family operated Central Grocery, serving food from their homeland to hundreds of Italian immigrants. Their most popular dish was an olive mixture with a side of meat, cheese and Sicilian bread. The dish was a hit with New Orleans workers, but there was one problem: It was difficult to eat on the go. Lupo and his family soon noticed that their ingredients were being mixed up. The workers were making sandwiches. So Central Grocery decided to make sandwiches, too. Soon after, the muffuletta was born—and Louisiana’s culinary history was changed forever.

Today, the muffuletta is a popular dish around the world. Many people try to recreate it, but none compare to the dishes made here in Louisiana. Just ask the staff at Anthony’s Italian Deli in Baton Rouge.

Anthony’s origin story is not unlike that of Central Grocery. The Saia family came to Louisiana from various parts of Italy, bringing recipes from home with them. They started in a small shop on Florida Boulevard and stayed there for 36 years. Eventually they decided to buy land on Government Street and build their own store. From the beginning, they knew their muffuletta had to be different from the New Orleans versions.

“I noticed that they put whole olives and large pieces of vegetables soaked in olive oil,” says Marco Saia. “Ours are an abundance of vegetables chopped up with olives.”

Anthony’s makes its olive blend with a blend of spices that the staff declines to disclose. They put it on bread soaked in oil and vinegar from Jumonville’s Bakery in Gonzales.

Then they add capicola, provolone cheese, mortadella and ham.

“We like it with lots of meat and cheese, Italian style. We want you to go home full, not hungry,” says Saia. “And that’s a muffuletta.”

Anthony’s also distinguishes its muffulettas by toasting the bread, which gives the sandwich structure that might otherwise crumble. These and other features even prompt New Orleans residents to drive to Baton Rouge to try the dish, Saia says.

Muffulettas are a symbol of what Louisiana really is: a culinary melting pot. Anthony’s version embodies the original tradition. It’s changed, but not really.