When the average tourist from Russia is offered to try mortadella for the first time, he often falls into a stupor at the mere sight of it. “Fathers and mothers! Yes, this is our boiled sausage!” – the Russian exclaims.
Then he tries and concludes: “Only better. Much better." So, let's figure out how Italian mortadella differs from the boiled sausage familiar to all of us from childhood, which was eaten, for example, by the same Uncle Fyodor in the cartoon “Prostokvashino”.
1. Let's start with the composition of the products. Although it is similar, it is not identical. Mortadella is made exclusively from pork interspersed with fat (on average, each loaf of sausage costs 15% of it). If we compare mortadella with the products of our domestic manufacturer, then the closest thing to Italian sausage is the Soviet “Doctorskaya”. It contains not only pork, but also beef, plus, according to GOST, chicken eggs, powdered cow's milk, nutmeg, spices, sugar, salt, glucose and sodium nitrite must be added there. That is, in terms of composition, “Doctor’s” sausage cannot be called a 100% copy of the Italian specialty.
2. It is known that the Mikoyanovsky meat processing plant produced the first batch of “Doctor’s” sausage in 1936. The recipe was developed separately, without focusing on the Italians. Mortadella’s history is many times more ancient. It was made back in the days of the ancient Romans. This is evidenced, for example, by the artifacts exhibited today in the Bologna Museum - these are devices and utensils for making sausage. In addition, a detailed description of the recipe for preparing mortadella is found in a document on meat dishes from 1376.
3. “Doctor’s” sausage got its name due to the fact that the product was developed as one of the components of therapeutic nutrition for people who had suffered from poor health due to hunger or poor nutrition for a long period - do not forget, the sausage was invented in the second half of the 30s . But the name mortadella comes from the Latin word “mortarium”. It was used to designate ceramic kitchen utensils - conical bowls in which food was crushed using a mortar or various foods were mixed. Actually, the meat was ground in the “mortarium”. By the way, this is the direct ancestor of the utensils for making pesto sauce.
4. It is curious that initially only myrtle berries were used as a seasoning to prepare mortadella. Today the product is also seasoned with pepper, but in the past it was too expensive. If we talk about the “Doctor’s” sausage, then when preparing it, according to GOST, coriander and nutmeg ground into flour were supposed to be used as spices.
5. It is customary to cut mortadella into very thin pieces, as they say, through the light. Eat - on its own, as an appetizer for an aperitif, as one of the components of canapés, for example, with pickled onions or cucumbers, and also as a filling for sandwiches. But according to Russian traditions, the sausage should be chopped into thick pieces and placed on top of a piece of bread, although the same cat Matroskin said that the sandwich turns out tastier if the sausage is on the bottom and the bread is on top.
A couple more facts about mortadella that are worth knowing. Today, its variety with pistachios as a filling is widespread all over the world. Residents of Bologna are unfavorable to this version of their specialist. They say it’s not ours, it’s not ours. Although Jamie Oliver likes to use this particular variety of mortadella, it is invariably present on the menu of his restaurants.
There are no restrictions regarding the size of the product. As they say, the larger and more voluminous the mortadella, the more interesting it is, so sometimes it is almost the size of a log.
So the numbers: Boneless pork shoulder - 5 kg (I bought a regular Belgorod shoulder in a vacuum). Back fat – 800g. Cut into pieces with a side of 1-2 cm, freeze in the freezer. Nitrite salt – 80g. Allspice peas, ground in a coffee grinder - 30 peas Fresh garlic - 1 head (about 80g peeled), crushed with a garlic press. Peeled pistachios - 200g (I used salted ones, peeled them by hand, then soaked them in water for 20 minutes to remove the scales; the scales swell and fall off on their own). Water - 200 ml Shell - as wide as possible, from 120 mm or more. In our case, it is polyamide Amiflex 120 mm. Sausage twine
Mortadella Classic (stage 2)
Cooking technology: Spread the spatula on the finest grill – 3 mm. Mix with salt and water. Place for maturation - for 3-4 days at 0..+4 degrees Celsius. We pass the ripened minced meat through a meat grinder a second time - this is critical! It is allowed to grind a third time.
We take the bacon out of the freezer and scald it with boiling water. This technique will prevent pieces of bacon from falling out when thinly slicing the sausage. Mix the pieces of bacon with boiling water well. It is important that each piece is washed with hot water. By doing this, we wash away the fat from the fat cells damaged by the knife along the edges of the pieces, and the pieces of bacon then adhere perfectly to the structure of the minced meat. Mix all ingredients vigorously. The minced meat will be icy, so it is better to use a glove. For stuffing, it is better to use a sausage syringe with a maximum shank width, but you can also use a regular meat grinder with a standard sausage attachment, in this case it is better to make the pieces of bacon a little larger, they will still be crushed when passing through the screw of the meat grinder. We spill the polyamide shell from the inside with warm water, tie one end with twine and stuff it tightly with minced meat, without voids. We tie the second end with twine, tightening the loaf as tightly as possible. We place the loaf on the lees - at least 12 hours at 0..+4 degrees Celsius, optimally - a day.
Heat treatment. Phase 1. Probably the most important when preparing this sausage. We place the ripened ice loaf in the oven, set the temperature to 45-50 degrees. Celsius and let stand for 3-4 hours. This is critical; during this time, fermentation and the main accumulation of taste and aroma occur in the minced meat. Phase 2. Cooking - at 80 degrees. Celsius at the rate of 1 minute per 1 mm of diameter + 20 minutes for boiling. Total – 140 minutes. Temperature and time are critical! Place the finished mortadella for cooling - 5-10 hours at 0... +4 degrees. Celsius. In general, in winter a balcony or summer terrace is ideal for all manipulations with storage, ripening and cooling.
The result is a very beautiful design, dense, huge sausage with an amazing aroma. It has a very festive look both in the loaf and in the cut. And her aroma is probably the most important impression of her. When you cut into the loaf, the meaty ham spirit fills the entire room, salivation becomes unbearable :). The taste is soft, full, meaty. The sandwiches it makes are classic and correct in every sense. The diameter is not for a small mouth :). I think that the larger the diameter of the sausages, the more opportunities there are for creating “sausage still lifes”, when each new cut reveals a new, unique pattern. You get indescribable pleasure cutting such a handmade creation. This recipe is one of the best in my practice, I’m happy to post it here (I’ve been planning it for a long time). I hope you won't be disappointed if you try it again.
Real Italian mortadella - the pride of Bologna - is something more than fatty smoked sausage. Served in a sandwich, or as an appetizer, or as a main course, Mortadella di Bologna is another delicacy from the bountiful lands of the Emilia-Romagna region.
Mortadella comes from the food-heavy city of Bologna, aptly nicknamed “la grassa,” which means fat. Among the many pork sausages produced in this region, this is the most famous. Mortadella has been made for at least five hundred years, and the recipe may have its roots in ancient Rome. The Romans' favorite sausage was farcimen mirtatum. They were flavored with myrtle berries and prepared using a pestle and mortar. The name mortadella comes from the Latin words mirtatum (myrtle) and mortario (mortar), and the recipe for the sausage remained unchanged until the Middle Ages. Today, the cooking method and ingredients are slightly different, as Italian cuisine has evolved over several centuries.
Mortadella di Bologna starts with finely minced meat, a fine cut not typically used in other types of sausages. In fact, Mortadella is a testament to the resourcefulness of Italian farmers, as all edible parts of the pig are used. This minced meat is mixed with high quality fat (usually from the neck) and spices: salt, white pepper, peppercorns, coriander, anise, pistachio pieces and wine. All this is then stuffed into a beef or pork casing, depending on the intended size of the sausage, and cooked depending on its weight. After cooking, the mortadella is left in a cool place to stabilize the sausage and give it body.
In order for the final product to be called mortadella di Bologna, it must meet certain criteria, for example: the ratio of pork to fat must be seven to three. The texture of the sausage should be dense, with pieces of lard evenly distributed in each slice. These characteristic pieces should be tightly surrounded by the sausage mass and should not separate during slicing. Real mortadella is a dense, pink sausage with white pieces of lard. It should be slightly spicy, but its taste should be softened by lard, and there should be a characteristic aroma.
A close relative of mortadella di Bologna is mortadella di Amatrice. This smoked and aged mortadella comes from the town of Amatrice, located in the Apennines. This version is seasoned with various mixtures including garlic and cinnamon. Germany and America have their own versions, known as bolognese (or baloni), but it lacks the characteristic bits of lard and differs in taste and quality.
Slicing, serving and storing mortadella
As with other types of Italian sausage (except salami), the thinner the slice, the better. Thin slices of mortadella are more pleasant and allow you to taste subtle notes of meat and spices. Thin slices also bring out the sausage's unique flavor, but mortadella can also be served cut into small cubes, like ham.
Mortadella is a very versatile dish that can be used in all types of dishes - from appetizers to main courses. Served with walnuts, cheeses and tart berries, or as a base for a delicious pasta, mortadella makes a great addition to a variety of appetizers. Mortadella is also good with eggs, as an ingredient for the Italian omelette known as fritatta. As far as pasta dishes go, mortadella is a wonderful filling in another Bolognese masterpiece, tortellini. However, true lovers of this famous sausage often simply slice it and serve it with good bread and a light, fruity red wine.
When buying mortadella, take as much as you can eat at one time. Like other sausages of this type, the taste and aroma disappear very quickly as soon as you start cutting the sausage, so a small amount of mortadella, bought from a butcher or in a store, is the best guarantee of preserving its special taste.
There is good news for health-conscious people who avoid saturated fat and cholesterol. Mortadella, with its characteristic white pieces of fat, is not as harmful as you might think. The presence of fat scares many people away, but this sausage is actually very healthy. The fat contained in mortadella is mostly unsaturated fat, similar to the fat in olive oil, and has no more cholesterol than chicken. The sausage is also rich in proteins, not to mention the fact that mortadella di bologna is protected by its Protected Geographical Indication, which ensures that authentic mortadella does not contain fillers, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
For some, mortadella is an ordinary sausage, but it is very diverse, tasty and nutritious. Compared to the processed and packaged baloni slices you can buy in the supermarket, this is a healthy food. Mortadella di Bologna is another wonderful example of the good taste of Italians; it is not only tasty, but also healthy.
The main place of production is Naples. Mortadella serves as the main topping for Neapolitan pizza.
Mortadella salad with corn.
Wash the radish, peel and chop into thin slices. Wash the salad, dry it and, like mortadella, cut into strips. Peel the onion, cut in half and chop. Drain the corn in a colander and mix with radish, lettuce, onion and sausage. Wash the parsley under running cold water, dry and finely chop. Mix the vinegar well with the spice paste, parsley, coriander and vegetable oil. Pour the marinade over the salad and mix gently. Leave the salad for a few minutes, then arrange on plates and serve with white bread.
For 4 servings: 400 g radish, 200 g lettuce, 400 g mortadella, 2 red onions, 200 g canned corn, 1 bunch of parsley, 2 tablespoons fruit vinegar, 1 teaspoon spice paste, 1 pinch coriander, 4 tablespoons spoons of vegetable oil.
Bolognese-style pies:
required for 4 servings:
300 g pizza dough (250 g flour + flour for rolling out dough 10 g fresh yeast (or 1/3 small packet of dry yeast) 1 pinch sugar 1/4 tsp salt olive oil for greasing the pan)
200 g mortadella
100 g processed cheese
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Cooking time: 40 min.
Preparation:
Step 1 Prepare pizza dough. Roll out the finished dough and make circles with a diameter of 8 cm.
Stage 2 Cut Mortadella and processed cheese into small slices. Place a few slices of mortadella and cheese on each circle.
Stage 3 Fold the pie in half and seal the edges.
Step 4 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan (choose oil suitable for deep frying!). Place the pies in portions into deep fat and fry until golden brown.
Stage 5 Place the finished pies on a paper napkin to drain excess fat. Lightly salt the pies and serve hot.
Tip: Mortadella can be replaced with another cooked sausage with flecks of fat.
Today, mortadella can be found in almost any large supermarket, anywhere in the world.
Even many sausage producers in the CIS countries are trying to figure out its recipe and produce, to put it mildly, a parody of mortadella, the same can be said about other typical Italian products. But any Italian will say without hesitation that the best mortadella produced in its homeland in the region.
Mortadella is produced according to a strictly established recipe. To do this, use chilled or frozen meat, which is thoroughly chopped before mixing with other ingredients. After which pieces of high-quality pork fat are added to the minced meat(cut into approximately 1 cubic centimeter) and a mixture of spices (salt, white pepper, coriander, anise, pistachios and wine).
After which, the resulting mixture is packaged. Mortadella casings can be either natural or artificial. This doesn't really affect the quality.
After packaging, mortadella is processed using special heaters at a temperature of 75 °C. Cooking time depends on the size (diameter) of the sausage, and can last from one to several hours. Mortadella is considered ready when its core temperature reaches 70 °C. And only after this, the sausage is quickly cooled.
Mortadella sausage can be completely different sizes, usually from 500 grams to 100 kilograms.
Ideally, real mortadella should not contain various fillers, flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives.
But some manufacturers add sodium caseinate to a product of low or average quality to improve taste.
How to eat mortadella
If you have already been to Italy, then you most likely know that almost everything is cut very thinly on a special machine. Mortadella is one of those sausages, about which one can say - the thinner the tastier. Although you can serve it in any form - cut with a regular knife, cubes, etc.
Because this perishable product, Italians prefer to buy it little by little, let’s say, so that it’s only enough for a sandwich or for preparing some dish (for one time). In my practice (when I worked in an Italian store), one lady asked to cut only 30 grams. This is normal in Italy.
Mortadella is used to prepare many dishes, but in my opinion the most common is an ordinary fresh bun (panino) with several pieces of sausage placed inside. Favorite food for people who do not have the opportunity to dine at home.
The average cost of good quality mortadella (in specialized stores - “salumeria”) is 12 €. In supermarkets you can find it cheaper, but of worse quality. .
Mortadella is a cooked Italian sausage with a history. Why they love it, where it came from and what to cook with - we’ll figure it out.
The Mortadella variety of sausage was traditionally prepared in Bologna, Italy. To do this, they take pork meat, mix it with high-quality throat fat, season it with salt, white and black, and less often allspice, pepper, anise, often pistachios and always wine. The natural shells are filled with the whipped mousse of ingredients and left in a cool place to age. The result is a sausage with a dense texture, evenly distributed pieces of fat and pistachios, and a recognizable spicy taste.
Story
The ancestor of mortadella is considered to be the Roman sausage farcimen mirtatum. Pork was mixed with its own fat, ground, and myrtle berries were used as a spice. Today, mortadella in Italy has become the ancestor of a whole family of varieties that differ only in the composition of spices and the diameter of the sausages. The most common condiments in variations are cognac, garlic, olives.
The mortadella is filled with pork of the best quality, exclusively from well-fed Italian boars.
Stuffed sausages undergo a long heat treatment in a hearth made of stones at a temperature of 75-77C. This sausage contains practically no preservatives.
Christopher of Messiburg gives the earliest recipe for mordatella. First, he describes for a long time the process of cleansing and emptying the pork bladder, then lists the ingredients of the minced meat, after which he explains how to stuff it correctly: “Having cleared all the films that may be inside, alternate the fat with the lean, beat the mixture properly, then weigh it and for every 25 pounds of meat add 10 ounces of salt and one ounce of pepper.” Christopher advises to knead the mixture thoroughly with your fist and add a glass of red wine. After that, some giblets were added to the minced meat.
All Italian manufacturers must indicate the location and region of the manufacturer on the packaging, but we recommend trying the classic one from Bologna. The sausages and hams from Emilia are second to none. Bolognese classic chopped mortadella made from minced pork and beef is noble and intelligent in comparison with the coarser Modena one. Both mortadella include wine, pepper, nutmeg, coriander and garlic. To this day, people in Bologna like to add dry myrtle berries to the composition. A loaf of sausage can weigh from half a kilogram to two centners.
Use
Mortadella does not keep for very long. The delicate taste and aroma quickly deteriorate.
It is better to eat a cut piece of sausage within the next 3-4 days. Mortadella goes well with cheeses, walnuts, sour berries, and omelettes and sandwiches are often prepared with it. Cut the sausage into thin slices or small pieces into cubes. As a snack, it is cut into thin, almost translucent slices and eaten cold - its taste and texture benefit greatly from this. Served with bread and wine.
SANDWICH WITH TOMATOES AND MORTADELLA
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- large handful of sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 large ciabatta
- lettuce leaves
- 150 grams of cheese (provolone or your choice)
- fresh arugula
- a few slices of mortadella
- olive oil
In a small bowl or glass, combine mustard and 4 tablespoons olive oil and stir until smooth. Cut the ciabatta, brush the bread with dressing, place lettuce, cheese, sausage on the bottom layer, tomatoes and arugula on top, season with salt and pepper. Cover with a second layer of ciabatta and press down slightly.
SANDWICH WITH MORTADELLA AND CHEESE (step by step)
To prepare such a delicious breakfast sandwich, remember, we use the most delicious bread, the best mortadella you can find, and your favorite cheese.
