Pane ca meusa (or mieusa, the milt of the calf – for the purists of Sicilian dialect, the correct pronunciation is “pani ca mievusa”) is a bread bun (“vastedda”) seasoned with sesame and stuffed with little pieces of calf milt, lung and windpipe (“scannaruzzatu) previously boiled and then browned on a slow flame in lard, inside copper pans.

The bun can be served “schiettu”, i.e. just with a squeeze of lemon juice or “maritatu”, i.e. seasoned with ricotta cheese and/or caciocavallo. This recipe comes from the Middle Ages and is related to an ancient Jewish community, expert in animal slaughter.

The mieusaro has an unmistakable piece of equipment: a great pot, sloped to collect the lard which cooks the meat, a big fork to take the pieces of meat out for the bread bun and a traditional perforated shovel to squeeze the loaf and get rid of any excess oil. The challenge between the meusaros of the city of Palermo is very intense and divides recipe lovers in true supporter clubs sustaining one or another street cook.