A cooked meat made using various fine cuts of pork, Mortadella features lean shoulder, leg and stomach combined with fatty jowl or back fat for a delicious end product.
Dating back to 1600, nowadays several regions have a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Mortadella production, namely Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, Lazio and several provinces of Trento.
The production method sees lean and fatty cuts carefully selected and trimmed, minced or chopped. The lean and fatty pork is then mixed together with salt, pepper, aromas, either with pistachios or not, and stuffed into its oval or round casing. Finally, it is cooked in dry air ovens at around 70°C
There are notable differences between Mortadella Bologna PGI as opposed to non-PGI Mortadella. PGI product is developed according to European regulations introduced back in 1998. Limited to the aforementioned regions, the meat must be made with pure pork using pre-established production methods and recipes, with the only recognised variant to the basic recipe being pistachios.
Non-PGI Mortadella can be produced in any area, is not limited to pure pork – it can even be chicken – and may include ingredients other than pistachios.
