Central Grocery:
Central Grocery is a French Quarter icon. Located at 923 Decatur Street, Central Grocery's claim to fame is the muffuletta ( sometimes pronounced "muffalotta" by the natives). Although reproductions abound, the original muffuletta can only be found right here. Sicilian immigrants founded the store around the turn of the last century, and it is still run by the same family. The store has retained is European flair. Besides the muffuletta, the store sells Italian, Greek, French, Spanish, and Creole delicacies.What is a muffuletta?:
Sicilian laborers who came to New Orleans worked in all kinds of jobs, and needed a hearty midday meal. A muffuletta is a huge sandwich that more than fills that need. It is the size of four "normal" sandwiches. You can buy a whole or a half, depending on how many people are in your party. Absolutely nobody can eat the entire thing in one sitting.What's in it?:
Round Sicilian seed bread is split, and then filled with meats such as capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, salami, ham, mozzarella cheese, and lots of olive salad. It is the olive salad that gives the sandwich its special flair, and although it is a secret recipe, you can buy it at Central. You can eat your muffuletta in the store or take it to go as you stroll around the Quarter.
