“Pane ca Meusa” (bread with spleen) is one of the most iconic street foods in Palermo, rooted in the city’s ancient history. This sandwich, made with veal spleen, lung, and cartilage, is a perfect example of how humble ingredients, often considered waste, can be transformed into a true delicacy.
The origins of this recipe are linked to the Jewish community that lived in Palermo around the year 1000 AD. As butchers, but bound by religious laws that prohibited them from accepting money for their work, Jews were compensated with the internal organs of slaughtered animals. Thus, the idea of using these offal to create a sandwich to sell to Christians was born, a tradition that has survived to this day thanks to the “vastiddari,” Palermo’s street food vendors.
Today, Pane ca Meusa is prepared in typical Palermo kiosks, where slices of spleen and lung are boiled and then fried in lard, served in a round sesame bun called “vastedda.” The sandwich can be enjoyed in two versions: “Schietta,” simple with only salt and lemon, or “Maritata,” enriched with ricotta and grated caciocavallo cheese.
Ingredients for 8 People:
(Doubled from the original recipe)
- 800 g veal spleen
- 400 g veal lung
- 200 g veal trachea cartilage (scannarozzato)
- 200 g caciocavallo cheese
- Lard (for frying)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 8 lemons
- 8 sesame buns (vastedda)
Instructions:
1. Preparing the Offal: Bring 4 liters of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the spleen, lung, and trachea cartilage, and boil for about 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove the offal with a fork, let it drain, and cool on a cutting board.
2. Slicing the Offal: Once cooled, slice the offal into thin pieces, then cut them into strips about 1 cm wide using a sharp knife.
3. Frying: In a large skillet, melt a generous amount of lard. Add the offal strips and fry them over medium-high heat until they become crispy and golden, stirring occasionally.
4. Draining: Once fried, remove the offal from the skillet using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat.
5. Preparing the Caciocavallo and Buns: Grate the caciocavallo cheese into large shavings. Cut the sesame buns in half and remove some of the crumb from inside to make room for the filling.
6. Assembling the Sandwich: Stuff the buns with the fried offal first. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Finally, top it all off with plenty of grated caciocavallo cheese.
7. Serving: Serve the Pane ca Meusa hot. You can choose between the “Schietta” version, simply with salt and lemon, or the “Maritata” version, with the addition of caciocavallo and, if you like, some fresh ricotta for an even richer taste.
This sandwich, rich in history and flavor, is not just a treat to enjoy on the streets of Palermo, but a true journey into the city’s ancient culture. Enjoy!
