History conveys to us that the first Muffuletta sandwich was made in New Orleans in 1906. The ingredients reflect Italian and/or Sicilian traditions. Though many traditions evolve about this sandwich, the common factor involves sesame bread. As someone who associates Cajun style food with Mardi Gras, I often forget this meat and cheese filled sandwich earns a place at the Mardi gras table.
Last year at Universal Orlando Mardi Gras, I really enjoyed the Muffuletta sandwich. I had concerns based on olive relish last year. The olive relish tasted solid in correlation to the rest of sandwich last year. I believe I had three of these sandwiches last year.
This year, the Muffuletta sandwich can be found in New Orleans food tents in the New York area of Universal Studios Florida. These cost a similar price to last year for most of Mardi Gras, $7.99. The menu description indicates each sandwich contains mortadella, salami, ham, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, and olive relish. This list of meats and cheeses resides within a toasted sesame seed bun. This sandwich also comes with kettle chips as a side. These kettle chips exist as common side now at Universal Orlando. Though some feel they are too salty, I found the taste and texture to be pleasing. These chips make a solid addition in terms of flavor and value.
So, what did I think of this year’s version? On the positive side, the bread tasted better to me this year compared to last year. Of course, logic tells me that probably same style bread as last year. The cheese tasted solid. Once again, I thought it tasted better this year. The mixture of more salty meats, cheese, and olive relish creates a distinctive flavor.
Based on how much I liked this last year; I was surprised how much I disliked the 2022 version. The only positive flavors were the two different cheeses. The olive relish appears to be served in a larger portion and/or possesses a more powerful flavor this year. In my experience, the mix of ingredients falls short this year.
Having said all that, the value of this sandwich makes it worth consideration. I would prefer more meat on this sandwich but with chips this makes a decent value. If you want a full meal size Muffuletta sandwich, then visit Bread Box for that version of a Muffuletta sandwich.
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