What is the sliced meat Mortadella made out of?
Mortadella is an Italian cured sausage, resembling bologna in size and appearance. It is made of pork that is first ground and then mashed into a paste, and may get its name from the Roman word for ‘mortar’. A mortar and pestle were once commonly used to crush meats, fruits and grain. In addition to pork meat, mortadella is studded with pork fat taken from the throat of the pig. It is spiced with pepper, and may also contain myrtle berries and coriander. In Italy, mortadella is often studded with pistachios or pine nuts. As prepared in Italy, it is cooked for several hours at a low temperature, with low humidity. After baking, mortadella must be refrigerated, but can keep for up to eight months.
