Mortadella

Mortadella is a large Italian cooked sausage originating in Bologna, made from finely ground pork studded with visible cubes of pork fat and typically seasoned with whole or ground black pepper, myrtle berries and sometimes pistachios. It is cooked slowly at low temperature in large cylindrical or oval molds, producing a smooth, pale pink product that can weigh many kilograms and is sliced thin for serving. Mortadella is the namesake and ancestor of the American product bologna, though the two differ considerably in texture and traditional production method, and genuine mortadella from Bologna carries a protected geographical indication in the European Union.