Photo by Kim Ashford

A muffoletta is a more than a sandwich, more than an assembly of cold cuts and cheese and olives and bread. It’s up there with the poboy as a symbol of the region. It also is a tricky thing to pull off right. Jay D. Ducote breaks down what makes a good muffoletta and why the one at Anthony’s Deli is the best.

“I think the main difference you usually see comes down to the bread and the olive salad. A superior muffoletta will have both of those taken care of, and the meats and cheeses will then take care of themselves.”

Ducote knows a thing or two about food; he makes a living eating and drinking, then writing and talking about it. He also competes and judges in both Cajun cooking and professional barbecue tournaments, appeared as a contestant in Season 2 of MasterChef on Fox, hosts two radio shows in Baton Rouge and is currently working on his first book, the Bite and Booze Cookbook, which will be published by LSU Press.

“The olive salad is what makes a muffoletta stand out from other sandwiches, says Ducote. “It adds that extra flavor, a little tang, savoriness and saltiness that makes it the star of the dish.”

Traditionally, a muffoletta is served on a thick round loaf, a regal and welcome sight when it shows up at a Mardi Gras or tailgate party, but that bread is often its downfall. It’s too much bread. Anthony’s remedies this situation with thin, pressed French bread, toothy on the outside but moist and flaky on the inside. It is made especially for the deli by Jumonville Bakery in Gonzales using an old family recipe.

“I think the bread is something else that sets Anthony’s apart because it is pressed. While that is unusual for a muffoletta, it is distinctive for Anthony’s and in no way takes away from the integrity of the sandwich itself,” says Ducote.

The final result is that the moist interior of the loaf absorbs the juice of the olive salad with the crust holding everything together, allowing you to savor the cocktail of ingredients. It allows you access to the essence of the muffoletta without bogging you down in the sandwich’s typical heft.

There are more reasons than just good olive salad to eat at Anthony’s. You get to sit right up by the glass of the glorious meat counter, among stacks of Italian groceries. “Definitely makes you feel one with the ingredients,” says Ducote. “It is like you’re eating in a pantry... in a good way.

“I like that Marco and his mom, Marie, greet each customer,” Ducote adds. “They are owner-operators, and I enjoy actually seeing them when I walk in. I like the cozy little atmosphere that they’ve built and they want it to remain a hole in the wall.”


Anthony’s Italian Deli
10248 Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, LA
(225) 272-6817
anthonysdeli.webs.com
Jay Ducote’s blog is at biteandbooze.com.

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