Bologna is proud of its mortadella. But there are only a few companies which produce the world-famous mortadella the old traditional way. With its small shops and narrow streets, the central market district is one of the main attractions of Bologna, proudly nicknamed "the fat one". The city is called so for the heartfelt love of its inhabitants for food, but also because of the unusually high presence of pork and especially lard in the local cuisine in Italy.
Mortadella has been produced in Bologna since the 14th century, as can be seen in the Museum of City History. There, the Bolognese have even dedicated a separate area to their beloved sausage, which is EU-protected. It is a standard offer of the delicatessen shops in Bologna such as the Mortadella Shop , Tamburini or the Vecchia Malga in the city centre.
A special dish - an unique taste and texture sensation, often served in many Emilian restaurants, is Spuma di Mortadella. “Spuma” translates literally to foam or mousse, so, without further ado, “spuma di mortadella” is literally mortadella mousse. At Scapin, only fresh meat is mixed with salt and spices and stuffed into natural casings together with chin bacon. The manufactory consistently dispenses with chemicals and other aids such as emulsifiers, flour or dyes. The mortadella is wrapped with twine by hand before hanging in a walk-in oven for up to 28 hours. But what about the pistachios? Simona Scapin answers this question as follows: "In Bologna we don't put pistachios in the mortadella and never have," she says. “They probably only appeared much later and a little further south in Italy. Here with us they are considered a sacrilege.”
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