A Passion for Mortadella

Mortadella is one of the most time-honoured Italian pork sausages, dating back to Roman times. Its name has become more synonymous with its place of origin than any other food. If you say mortadella in Italy or around the world, people immediately think Bologna and Emilia. The name mortadella can be traced to the Roman period. According to some sources, the word comes from "mortarium" (mortar), a tool used to grind pork meat and depicted in the bas-relief of a funeral stone conserved in the museum of archaeology in Bologna. Other sources claim that the word originates from "murtada", or in other words, "sausage seasoned with myrtle", a plant widely found in typical Mediterranean vegetation ("maquis"). In both cases, the production of mortadella can be traced to a Roman-ruled area stretching from Emilia-Romagna to Lazio. It's a centuries-old product, mentions of it have been found in recipes and scripts from the 1300's, with more and more evidence found from the late Renaissance period until the 17th century when production was standardized: initially the recipe of Bologna-born humanist Vincenzo Tanara was used then another in 1661 that was the result of a decree passed by Cardinal Farnese which codified production and produced one of the first sets of specifications similar to those currently governing PDO and PGI labelled products. Fabrication and application of the required quality seals were the responsibility of the Corporazione dei Salaroli (Guild of Salters), one of Bologna's most ancient confraternities which, from as early as 1376, had a mortar and pestle as a coat of arms. The mortadella became increasingly popular in the Italian and foreign markets from the early 1800's, also thanks to the opening of the first pork meat processing plants, something which standardized the recipe and codified the tradition of this stuffed sausage.