Dish
Panino con la Meusa
Photo from
Porta Carbone · Palermo
The story
Panino con la Meusa is a classic street food of Palermo, Sicily, with origins dating back to the city’s medieval Jewish quarter. The sandwich features boiled veal spleen (meusa), lung, and trachea, sliced thin and typically fried in lard until crispy, then stuffed into a soft sesame bun. A great version balances the rich, minerally offal with a light, airy bread and a squeeze of lemon or a dusting of caciocavallo cheese or ricotta salata. The frying should render the meat tender yet slightly crunchy, not greasy. Regional variations are minimal—some vendors add lemon juice to cut the richness, others include a hint of black pepper. In Palermo, the dish is traditionally eaten schietto (plain) or maritato (with cheese). Creator Franchino Er Criminale recommends Testa Grossa Focacceria and Pane e Meusa al Chioschetto for authentic executions, while warning against Nino u' Ballerino, which he considers inferior. The sandwich is a must-try for visitors seeking Palermo’s deep culinary heritage.
Synthesised by AI from every creator’s review.
Where to eat it
5 places reviewed by YouTube creators.
What creators say
Highlights from 5 creator reviews of Panino con la Meusa.
Porta Carbone serves the best panino con la meusa I've ever had — perfectly cooked meat, great bread, and the cheese makes it sing. For €3, it's unbeatable.
A decent sandwich with better flavour than the previous one, good value at €2.50.
Excellent sandwich tied with Porta Carbone as the best in Palermo, with a unique lemon twist.
Franco Vastiddaru's panino con la meusa is disappointing — the meat is too soft, the smell is too strong, and the cheese is absent. Not worth it compared to Porta Carbone.
Franco Vastiddaru · PalermoskippedA disappointing sandwich with no flavour, despite being a local institution.
Nino u' Ballerino · Palermoskipped