muffuletta

American  

[muhf-uh-let-uh] / ˌmʌf əˈlɛt ə /

Or muffaletta

noun

1. a thick, round sandwich similar to a hero, typically containing ham, salami, and cheeses and topped with an olive salad, a specialty of New Orleans.

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Etymology

Origin of muffuletta

First recorded in 1965–70; from Sicilian dialect, from Italian muffoletta “a round hollow-centered loaf of bread,” derivative of muffola “mitten,” from French moufle; see origin at muff ( def. ), muffle ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Of Sicilian origin, muffuletta is actually the name of the Italian bread that holds the virtual charcuterie board of ingredients that make up this massive sandwich together.

From Salon • Jul. 13, 2023

In addition to pizzas, there are muffuletta and po’boy sandwiches, fried oysters and mussels for appetizers, mac-and-cheese, duck-fat potatoes with wine-poached prunes, seasonal salads and house-made ice cream.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2022

The world has gifted us fabulous sandwiches — New Orleans’s muffuletta and Spain’s bocadillo come to mind — but if push ever came to shove-in-my-mouth, banh mi would find me opening widest.

From Washington Post • Jul. 23, 2019

The muffuletta, made with prosciutto, capicola, shaved Parmesan, and olive salad, could easily be mistaken for an extra-spicy Italian combo.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 29, 2018

And there are what we call "singulars," which are those creations on bread that falls outside these other groups but are still vital to the sandwich landscape, like the muffuletta.

From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2015