A large Italian sausage made from finely ground pork, studded with cubes of fat and often pistachios, then cooked in large casings. It has a smooth, delicate texture and mild flavor, and is typically sliced thin for sandwiches.
From Italian, derived from Latin 'mortarium' (mortar), referring to the mortar and pestle used to grind the meat to its characteristic fine texture. This ancient sausage originated in Bologna during Roman times and has remained largely unchanged for over 2,000 years.
Mortadella is often called 'the mother of all cold cuts' and was actually banned in the US from 1967 to 2000 due to concerns about African swine fever - during this time, American 'bologna' became a poor substitute! The visible fat cubes aren't just for show; they're precisely cut back fat that creates the signature texture and prevents the sausage from becoming too dense.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.