Pane ca' meusa: Palermo's spleen sandwich

Palermo's most famous street sandwich is 'u pani ca' meusa': a soft sesame-seed bun called a vastedda, filled with thin slices of veal spleen and lung that have been boiled and then fried in lard. Order it 'schietta' (single) and it comes plain with a squeeze of lemon. Order it 'maritata' (married) and it comes with grated caciocavallo or fresh ricotta.

Local tradition links its origin to the Jewish butchers of medieval Palermo, before the Jews were expelled from Sicily in 1492. The story goes that they were paid for their work in offal rather than money, and turned it into a sandwich they could sell. It is a legend rather than documented history, but it is part of the dish's identity.

One of the city's best-known places to eat it is the Antica Focacceria San Francesco, which dates back to 1834. Its marble-and-cast-iron tables once saw Giuseppe Garibaldi. Other classic stands are clustered around the port and the old markets.

Next story: The Paninari: when a sandwich bar named a generation · All history articles