Mortadella

mortadella the name used in English for a type of large and impressive pink pork sausage. Its chief distinguishing feature is its great diameter. Inside there is a mixture of minced pork (70 per cent lean) and large flecks of white fat (produced by pushing strips of salt pork fat into the minced meat). The best are made from pure pork with peppercorns and (optionally) pistachio or olives. The finished sausage is served as a cold meat, in thin slices.

Mortadella originated in Bologna and has been much copied as ‘Bologna sausage’ or ‘balony’ (it is possible that the latter form was corrupted to give the word polony, but this may have other origins). It has been associated with the Italian city of Bologna, a place known for excellence in food since the Middle Ages. It was already being made in 1376 when the Bologna sausage-makers’ guild was established.