Interlude: Italian Culture in...New Orleans!
When someone says "New Orleans" you probably don't immediately think Italian. A few other words might come to mind first, such as, "mardi gras" "beignets" "jazz" "creole" "cajun" and "andouille." It is indeed a city rich with associations due to its fascinating history as a French and Spanish territory, vibrant music scene, and revered food culture. It is also made famous in media as the setting for a plethora of books, cinema, and television programs such as Interview With the Vampire, Runaway Jury, the Skeleton Key, Treme, and True Blood.
We flew down to New Orleans last week to attend my cousin's wedding and while we certainly had a full itinerary, I was also interested to see if there were any links to Italian culture in this fantastic city. I had been to New Orleans before but only briefly and this time we would be spending a full week; I was excited to see what else I would find beyond the French Quarter.
I was surprised to find several ties to Italy, particularly Sicily, in the city renowned for so much else (the French Quarter actually used to be nicknamed "Little Palermo!"). Unfortunately, I soon discovered that the history of Italian immigrants in New Orleans is somewhat sordid. There was an infamous lynching that took place in 1891 (which the mayor of New Orleans just issued an apology for - you can read about that here). However, there are some really great Italian influences on this wonderful city, so those are the things I want to highlight here.
The first is the muffuletta. The muffuletta is a sandwich that was created in New Orleans in 1906 by the then owner of the Central Grocery & Deli, Salvatore Lupo, though the origin of the sandwich is in Sicily where variations of it have been eaten for centuries!
The sandwich is filled with olive salad (a traditional giardiniera mix of pickled veggies), salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella. The ingredients themselves shine, but the stand-out player in the muffuletta is the bread (of course!). It's similar to a foccacia, but it's much less dense and it is softer, lighter, and fluffier while still being hearty and flavorful. There really isn't a good way to describe it - you must try it for yourself!
One of my favorite things about the experience of having the muffuletta was actually the deli itself. Central Grocery is still in its original location on Decatur St. (across the street from the glorious Café du Monde). The shop is filled with imported Italian groceries that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. They also sell a variety of cold beers that you can enjoy while you eat your sandwich at the counter in the back of the deli, or out on the promenade as you watch the boats cruise around the Mississippi River. A word of warning - a half sandwich is easily enough for two; a whole could feed four!
There were a few other places on our list that we didn't make it to on this trip (Angelo Brocato canoli and Aglio for their famous fig cookies for instance), but we will plan to get to them on our next pass through which I hope is soon!
We had a great time in New Orleans, and will certainly be back to visit soon. I enjoyed learning about my cultural roots in a city that really embodies the heart of the south in so many ways and I have a long list of Italian bakeries to visit!
We flew down to New Orleans last week to attend my cousin's wedding and while we certainly had a full itinerary, I was also interested to see if there were any links to Italian culture in this fantastic city. I had been to New Orleans before but only briefly and this time we would be spending a full week; I was excited to see what else I would find beyond the French Quarter.
I was surprised to find several ties to Italy, particularly Sicily, in the city renowned for so much else (the French Quarter actually used to be nicknamed "Little Palermo!"). Unfortunately, I soon discovered that the history of Italian immigrants in New Orleans is somewhat sordid. There was an infamous lynching that took place in 1891 (which the mayor of New Orleans just issued an apology for - you can read about that here). However, there are some really great Italian influences on this wonderful city, so those are the things I want to highlight here.
The first is the muffuletta. The muffuletta is a sandwich that was created in New Orleans in 1906 by the then owner of the Central Grocery & Deli, Salvatore Lupo, though the origin of the sandwich is in Sicily where variations of it have been eaten for centuries!
The sandwich is filled with olive salad (a traditional giardiniera mix of pickled veggies), salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella. The ingredients themselves shine, but the stand-out player in the muffuletta is the bread (of course!). It's similar to a foccacia, but it's much less dense and it is softer, lighter, and fluffier while still being hearty and flavorful. There really isn't a good way to describe it - you must try it for yourself!
One of my favorite things about the experience of having the muffuletta was actually the deli itself. Central Grocery is still in its original location on Decatur St. (across the street from the glorious Café du Monde). The shop is filled with imported Italian groceries that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. They also sell a variety of cold beers that you can enjoy while you eat your sandwich at the counter in the back of the deli, or out on the promenade as you watch the boats cruise around the Mississippi River. A word of warning - a half sandwich is easily enough for two; a whole could feed four!
There were a few other places on our list that we didn't make it to on this trip (Angelo Brocato canoli and Aglio for their famous fig cookies for instance), but we will plan to get to them on our next pass through which I hope is soon!
(This Monument to the Immigrant stands right on the promenade of the Mississippi River and was commissioned by the Italian-American Marching Club.)
We had a great time in New Orleans, and will certainly be back to visit soon. I enjoyed learning about my cultural roots in a city that really embodies the heart of the south in so many ways and I have a long list of Italian bakeries to visit!
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