If you never tried it, you’ve probably come to Earth just a few days ago, and you still don’t have been seduced by one of the most shiny stars in the firmament of the cold cuts: the Mortadella di Bologna IGP.
1 - An ancient miracle from Bologna. Everything began in the Etruscan period in Bologna, the so-called Felsina between V and I century B.C. A land rich of oak forests that fed with flavored acorns the pigs of the area, sacrificed in the name of the history of butchery.
2 - Etymological diatribes. Some are sure that the name comes from ‘mortarium’, the mortar that Romans used to crush the pork meat; some, instead, think that comes from ‘farcimen myrtatum’, a cured meat with myrtle berries that was very appreciated by Romans. They didn’t have our Rosetta with Mortadella, but our cousins of the past knew their stuff.
3 - Not for everyone, until now. Until two centuries ago, Mortadella di Bologna was a very expensive cold cut, affordable only by aristocrats and rich bourgeois. With the industrial revolution, the productive process became faster and less expensive, and, hence, this cold cut became folk food, and even the iconic snack of the workers.
4 - ‘May I have just a slice?’, he asked while imploring the dietician. And, with great surprise, the dietician replied with a ‘yes’. Despite it can’t be exactly defined as hypocaloric food, the most recent processing techniques guarantee a balanced intake of proteins and fat: in nutrition terms, four Mortadella slices are equivalent to a full-fat yogurt with fruit. And we are pretty sure you will go for the first.
5 - Apologies, Father Labat. This Dominican monk from France tried everything to get the original recipe of Mortadella, that, in 1700, was one of the greatest pride of Bologna citizens. And, as they were moved by a sort of common protection instinct, they all lied to the monk: some people even invented that Mortadella was made with newborn donkeys.
6 - With or without Pistachios? In accordance with the product specification, this is not the main problem. The parameters for the perfect Mortadella are, indeed, very strict: the form must be oval or cylindric, the surface velvety and, in each slice, there must be at least a 15% of fat distributed in an homogeneous way. Pistachio is widely accepted (at least outside Bologna).
7 - She demands attention, from the beginning until the end. The cooking process is like high patisserie. The heart of Mortadella must be at 70°, worth the deformation of the cold cut. For this reason, supervision by experts is still necessary, and most of them comes from Verica, a little village over the Appennini, that boasts an historical tradition of butchers.
8 - Brazilians are mad about it. Even a bit too much, considering that it ended up in court. The ‘Mortadela’ that you can find in the sandwiches sold by the kiosks of the San Paolo Municipal Market has been, indeed, registered as ‘Bologna’. In reply, our Consortium began a lawsuit against this attempt to steal the paternity of Mortadella, but, unluckily, it lost.
9 - ‘Mortadella, please’, or ‘MortadellaBò’, it’s up to you! There are two festivals dedicated to the famous cold cut in Emilia Romagna region: the first, in Zola Predosa, just out from Bologna; the second is, instead, in the heart of the city, in Piazza Maggiore. Whatever is your relationship with Mortadella, swinging by at one of them is a must.
10 - At Obicà is the Goddess of the table. It’s in our Flan with Potatoes, Ricotta di Bufala and Sicilian Pistachios, over the Bruschette with Smoked Burrata, and over the unmissable Pizza Mortadella and Pistachios: in short, she’s the undisputed star of our tables.
If you can already feel the perfume of Mortadella Bologna IGP from far away, BOOK NOW in your favorite Obicà!
Discover more about Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, Basil Pesto and Peperone Crusco di Senise IGP as well!
