Welcome back to The Italy Deep Dive! This space is dedicated to a monthly discovery of a town, area or sub-region of Italy through one of its most celebrated products. We’ve traveled all over Italy, from Sicily’s green island of Salina to the steep cliffs of the Dolomites in Alta Badia.
This week’s Deep Dive takes us to Italy’s pianura, plains, known for the fog, excellent salumi (hint hint) and picturesque coloured towns. Welcome to Bologna, the city of tortellini, towers and Lucio Dalla, one of Italy’s best cantautori of all time.
And if you still haven’t checked out the newest newsletter series, The Cabinet of Curiosities - fruit of La Panza Piena’s contributors hard work - this is your chance.
Let’s Dive
Most of you have probably tasted mortadella at some point in your life, for some of you it might also be the preferred panino filling in the world. What you might not necessarily know is mortadella’s tie with Bologna, the capital of Emilia Romagna, known as one of the richest Italian regions with regards to gastronomic heritage.
As is the case with many products whose origin is ancient, there are various versions and schools of thought surrounding original preparations, recipes and etymology. What is certain is that in order to produce mortadella, there needed to be a pig raising tradition as well as plenty of acorns.
The etymology derives from one of the two following thesis, the former connected to the Ancient Roman tradition of using a pestle and mortar to work pork meat and season it with spices and salt, and the latter linked to the latin word for myrtle, myrtatum.
Whether mortadella is a derivation of mortarium or myrtatum still remains a mystery, however the traditional recipe has been singled out and recognized since 1661, one of the first archaic examples of what we now define as DOP or IGP. It was firstly only consumed by Bologna’s elite class, becoming accessible to the messes with the development of industrialization.
Mortadella is a salume cotto, one that undergoes a cooking process - steaming - in order to achieve its soft consistency and unique aroma.
Tasting tip: take a left in Piazza Maggiore and head for Bologna’s quadrilatero, filled with street food spots and tiny botteghe selling heaps of tortellini, tortelli and tagliatelle. Head into Tamburini, an antica salsamenteria bolognese, first and foremost to feast your eyes on the gastronomic abundance and, secondly, for a relaxed aperitivo accompanied by a plate of freshly sliced mortadella.