What is the difference between Italian mortadella and Russian boiled sausage? Mortadella is an Italian sausage.

Authentic Italian mortadella, the pride of Bologna, is more than fat smoked sausage. Served as a sandwich, 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-rich city of Bologna, aptly nicknamed "la grasse", which means fat. Among the many swine sausage products produced in this region is the most famous. Mortadella has been made for at least five hundred years, and it is possible that its recipe is rooted in Ancient Rome. The favorite sausage of the Romans was called farcimen mirtatum. They were seasoned 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 sausage recipe remained unchanged until the Middle Ages. Today, the cooking method and ingredients are slightly different, as Italian Cuisine evolved over several centuries.

Mortadella di Bologna starts with finely chopped meat, usually such fine cutting is not used in other types of sausages. In fact, Mortadella is a testament to the resourcefulness of Italian farmers, as every edible part of the pig is used. This minced meat is mixed with high quality fat (usually from the throat) and spices: salt, white pepper, peppercorns, coriander, anise, pistachio pieces and wine. All this is then hammered into beef or pork casing, depending on the expected size of the sausage, and cooked, depending on its mass. After cooking, mortadella is left in cool place to stabilize the sausage and give it density.

In order for the final product to be called mortadella di Bologna, it must meet certain criteria, for example: the ratio of pork and fat must be seven to three. The texture of the sausage should be dense, with pieces of bacon evenly distributed in each slice. These characteristic pieces should be tightly surrounded by the sausage mass and should not separate during cutting. A 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 a characteristic aroma should be present.

A close relative of mortadella di Bologna is mortadella di Amatris. This smoked and aged mortadella comes from the town of Amatrice, located in the Apennines. This option is seasoned various mixtures including garlic and cinnamon. Germany and America have their own versions, known as bologna(or baloni), but it does not have the characteristic pieces of fat, and it differs in taste and quality.

Slicing, serving and storing mortadella

As with all types of Italian sausages (with the exception of salami), the thinner the piece, the better. Thin pieces of mortadella are more pleasant, and allow you to feel subtle notes in the taste of meat and spices. Thin slices also enhance the unique flavor of this sausage, however, mortadella can also be served cut into small cubes like ham.

Mortadella - very varied dish, which can be used in all kinds of dishes - from appetizers to main courses. Filed with walnuts, cheeses and sour berries, or as a base for delicious pasta, mortadella can be a great ingredient for various snacks. Mortadella is also good with eggs, as an ingredient in an Italian omelet known as frittata. As for pasta dishes, mortadella is a wonderful filling in another masterpiece from Bologna, tortellini. However, true lovers of this famous sausage often just cut it and serve it with good bread And light fruity red wine.

When buying mortadella, take as much as you can eat at a time. As with other sausages of this type, the taste and aroma disappear very quickly once you start cutting the sausage, therefore, a small amount of mortadella bought from a butcher or in a store is the best guarantee of the preservation of its special taste.

Eat good news for the health conscious, those who avoid saturated fat and cholesterol. Mortadella, with its characteristic white pieces of fat, is not as harmful as one might think. The presence of fat scares many, but this sausage is actually very healthy. The fat found in mortadella is mostly unsaturated fat, similar to olive oil, and has no more cholesterol than chicken. The sausage is also rich in proteins, not to mention that mortadella di bologna is protected by its geographical name (Protected Geographical Indication), which ensures that authentic mortadella does not contain fillers, artificial dyes, flavorings and 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 at the supermarket, this healthly food. Mortadella di Bologna is another great example good taste Italians, it is not only tasty, but also healthy.

The main place of production is Naples. Mortadella serves as the main filler for Neapolitan pizza.

Mortadella salad with corn.

Wash, peel and chop the radish thin slices. Wash lettuce, dry and, like mortadella, cut into strips. Peel the onion, cut in half and chop. Throw the corn in a colander and mix with radish, lettuce, onion and sausage. Wash parsley under running water cold water, dry and chop finely. Mix vinegar well with spice paste, parsley, coriander and vegetable oil. Pour marinade over salad and mix gently. Leave the salad for a few minutes, then arrange on plates and serve on the table 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 of fruit and berry vinegar, 1 teaspoon of spice paste, 1 pinch of coriander, 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Bolognese pies:

Required for 4 servings:

300 g pizza dough (250 g flour + 10 g flour for rolling out the dough fresh yeast(or 1/3 small sachet dry yeast) 1 pinch sugar 1/4 tsp. salt olive oil for mold lubrication)

200 g mortadella

100 g melted cheese

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt to taste

Cooking time: 40 min.

Cooking:

Step 1 Prepare pizza dough. Ready dough roll out, make circles with a diameter of 8 cm.

Stage 2 Mortadella and melted cheese cut into small slices. Place a few slices of mortadella and cheese on each circle.

Step 3 Fold the pie in half and close the edges.

Step 4 Heat well in a deep frying pan. vegetable oil(Choose an oil suitable for deep frying!). Dip the patties in batches and deep fry until golden brown.

Stage 5 Ready pies put on a paper napkin to stack excess fat. Lightly salt the pies and serve hot.

Tip: Mortadella can be replaced with another boiled sausage with a splash of fat.

Cut pork and beef into arbitrary pieces. Pass the pork through a meat grinder (with grid holes 2-3 mm), add 1 tbsp. l. salt and all the sugar, mix, put in a bowl, cover tightly with a film and keep for 12 hours or a little longer in the refrigerator at a temperature of 3-4 ° C.

Separately, in the same way, in a meat grinder with 2–3 mm grid holes, chop the beef, add the remaining salt, knead, put in a bowl, cover tightly with foil and keep in the refrigerator for the same time as pork.

Thoroughly mix both types of prepared minced meat and pass through a meat grinder four times, each time a little (about 2 tsp) adding white wine to the minced meat.

Place the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan, heat over low heat and cook, shaking the frying pan, for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Then crush the seeds in a mortar as fine as possible and add it to the minced meat. Mix thoroughly.

Pistachios hot water(but not boiling water!) to remove from them extra salt and dust and completely dry on paper towel. Add to mince together with freshly ground white pepper.

Grate the nutmeg on the fine grater and add to chopped meat. Add black peppercorns. Mix thoroughly again.

Wrap the lard in cling film and put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes so that the lard hardens and is easy to cut. With a sharp knife dipping it in hot water, cut the fat into cubes with a side of 10-12 mm.

Chopped lard quickly, while it is still cold, add to the minced meat and mix gently. This time, you do not need to thoroughly knead the minced meat - it is enough that the pieces of fat are distributed more or less evenly.

Fold the cling film 4 times. You should get a rectangle measuring 30x40 cm. Put the stuffing on the film in the form of a “loaf” so that its short sides do not reach the edge of the film by at least 5 cm, along the long edge closest to you - by 5 cm, along the far one - by 15 -20 cm.

Meat and fat

Description

Ingredients

Steps

First of all, rinse the pork and beef well, then dry the meat with napkins and place in one common container. If necessary, remove from meat ingredients unnecessary parts.





Now prepare all the necessary spices and red wine. Add these ingredients to the resulting meat mixture, then mix everything thoroughly and be sure to taste it so that, if necessary, the minced meat can be salted or peppered.



At this point, remove the blender or food processor to grind dried mushrooms before receiving mushroom powder. When the ingredients are ground, add them to the pork and beef spice mix.



Thoroughly knead the minced meat, and then add the pistachios peeled from the husk and fresh lard cut into small cubes.



Mix the resulting mass again and proceed to the formation of sausages. To do this, prepare the shell by pulling it on a special meat grinder device. It is not necessary to fill the stuffing too tightly, as the sausage may burst during the baking process. You can also fill the shell with a mixture with an ordinary culinary syringe, but this process takes many times more time and effort.



Be sure to tie the edges of the formed bologna sausages with a dense culinary thread, and pierce the delicacy itself with a needle in several places. The last manipulation will also prevent the sausage casing from bursting during baking. Lay out meat products on a dry baking sheet, fill everything with water as much as possible and send it to the oven. Sausages should be baked for two to three hours at a temperature of ninety degrees. From time to time, the delicacy needs to be turned over.



When the meat product is ready, put it in a suitable dish for cooling, and after cooling the sausages, place in the refrigerator to cool. The next day, cut the homemade delicacy into circles, put on a plate and serve. Mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise can be used as a sauce for baked meat products. Exquisite bologna sausage made from beef and pork at home is ready.



Bon appetit!

1339

There is in Italy the city of Bologna, founded in 510 BC. e. - the culinary capital of the country. Behind the eyes, Bologna is called "fat". If you look at the windows grocery stores, filled to the brim with cheeses and sausages, it immediately becomes clear why. Some names of sausages are worth something. See for yourself - kotekino (boiled pork sausage), tsampone (larded pork leg), pancetta ( pork belly), cappello del prete oder cappelletto (boiled pork sausage). Bolognese sauce was born here, some types of pasta, but the biggest celebrity is sausage - mortadella.

A real Italian mortadella is a real child and pride of Bologna, that's why outside the city it is even called "bologna". It is certainly one of the most famous Italian delicacies. Currently, it is produced not only in the provinces of Parma and Bologna, but also in many other regions.

Mortadella has been made for at least five hundred years, and its recipe may have its roots in ancient Rome. The favorite sausage of the Romans was called farcimen mirtatum. They were seasoned 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 sausage recipe remained unchanged until the Middle Ages.
Mortadella has the status of a product whose origin is controlled - a sausage called mortadella can only be produced in certain northern regions of Italy.
Today, the cooking method and ingredients are slightly different, as Italian cuisine, like many others, has evolved over several centuries.

Mortadella is made from minced pork and lard, due to which a characteristic spotted structure is formed. minced pork often mixed with other types of meat: beef, veal, horse meat. Sometimes offal, cracklings are added to minced meat. Garlic, peppercorns, wine, pistachios are used as spices in the manufacture of mortadella. All this is then stuffed into a beef or pork casing, depending on the intended size of the sausage, and cooked, depending on its mass. After cooking, mortadella is left in a cool place to stabilize the sausage and give it firmness.

A mandatory requirement for the classic Bolognese mortadella is the presence of dry myrtle berries as the main seasoning. Each manufacturer has their own recipe. In order for the final product to be called mortadella di Bologna, it must meet certain criteria, for example: the ratio of pork and fat must be seven to three. The texture of the sausage should be dense, with pieces of bacon evenly distributed in each slice. These characteristic pieces should be tightly surrounded by the sausage mass and should not separate during cutting. A 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 a characteristic aroma should be present. A loaf of mortadella sausage can weigh from half a kilogram to two centners.

Serving and storing mortadella

Mortadella can be bought in almost all butcher shops Bologna. In the same place, on the spot, you can ask the butcher to cut mrrtadella, he knows a lot about this.
As with other types of Italian sausages, the thinner the piece, the better. Thin pieces of mortadella are more pleasant, and allow you to feel subtle notes in the taste of meat and spices. Thin slices also enhance the unique flavor of this sausage, however, mortadella can also be served cut into small cubes like ham. Mortadella is served warm room temperature, Italians believe that this is the only way to feel the taste and aroma of thin slices. And when using, they adhere to one principle - cut very thinly, eat very quickly!

Mortadella is a very versatile dish that can be used in all kinds of meals - from appetizers to main courses. Served with walnuts, cheeses and sour berries, or as a base for delicious pasta, mortadella can be a great ingredient for a variety of appetizers. Mortadella is also good with eggs, as an ingredient in an Italian omelet known as frittata. As for pasta dishes, mortadella is a wonderful filling in another masterpiece from Bologna, tortellini. However, true lovers of this famous sausage often just slice it and serve it with good bread and a light, fruity red wine.

The popularity of mortadella

Mortadella is very popular in Spain and Portugal, where it is served with peppers and olives, but sausage is especially loved in sandwiches.
Mortadella is also very popular in Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Uruguay, thanks to Italian immigrants who settled in these countries in the early 20th century.

This is interesting!

Today, you will not surprise anyone with boiled sausage. She has long moved from the category of delicacies to slender ranks. everyday products. But, if the domestic consumer increasingly associates industrial sausages with toilet paper, then the Italians speak of their Mortadella with their heads held high. Born in (Bologna), she has become a symbol of this city and a model for the quality of meat products. Mortadella Bologna is a well-deserved owner.

Probably, mortadella was first born in the 1st century in the territory between the regions (Emilia-Romagna) and (Lazio). But over time, this meat product went into oblivion and reappeared only in the 16th century in the city of Bologna.

In the Archaeological Museum of Bologna, the first evidence of sausage production has been preserved, which dates back to the period: this is an image of grazing pigs and a mortar and pestle, with which the meat for sausage was originally ground.

The origin of the term "mortadella" is not fully defined. Some historians associate it with the Latin myrtatum, which means myrtle (a spice used to prepare meat products before our era). According to another hypothesis, the name of the sausage originates from an ancient device for grinding meat - mortar. The third version relies on the consistency of the product and claims the connection of mortadella with the word murtarum (finely chopped meat).

In the Middle Ages, mortadella was a very expensive product due to the use a large number, expensive in those days, spices that helped to keep it longer.

The price of sausage was nine times higher than the cost of bread, 3 times - ham, 2 times -. Interestingly, mortadella was even one of the gifts at the wedding of Lucrezia Borgia and Alfonso I.

In 1661, Cardinal Farnese passed a law to protect mortadella from fakes. But only in the 1800s, with the advent of mechanized production, the meat product became available to the common population. In 1876, the organization Salsamentari was created, whose members strictly monitored the observance traditional technologies making sausages. It was thanks to them that mortadella became the protagonist of the industrial revolution. Today, the quality of Mortadella Bologna and Mortadella di Prato is protected by the IGP category.(Protected Geographical Indication).

As a tribute to your traditional product in the city of Zola Predosa (Zola Predosa) an international festival dedicated to mortadella is held, called "Mortadella, please".

Composition and technology

In order not to make a mistake in choosing a product, you need to know for sure that its quality is controlled by law. The clearest example of this is Mortadella Bologna. The sausage is already so associated with its homeland that, both in Italy and abroad, it is simply called "Bologna".

Mortadella consists of a mixture of meat, lard, salt and pepper. The shell may be natural or synthetic. The law allows the use of pistachios, sugar (not more than 0.5% by weight of the product), sodium or potassium nitrates, ascorbic acid and monosodium glutamate. And, if the last component causes burning disputes, then the use of nitrates is caused by the tastes of the consumers themselves. A "clean" meat product is pink-grey in color and darkens over time, which is not popular with customers.

To obtain sausage, the meat is separated from the skin and fat and ground to a paste. Salo is cut into small cubes and mixed with minced meat, salt and pepper. The resulting mixture is filled into the shell and sent to dry air ovens. The heat treatment time depends on the size of the product and lasts from several hours to several days, but, in any case, the temperature in the center of the product should be 70 degrees. After cooking, the sausage is cooled to at least 10 degrees.

The finished mortadella has an oval or cylindrical shape. The consistency is compact, not elastic. The cut surface is pink, velvety, pearl-white blotches of adipose tissue (about 15%) are clearly visible, evenly distributed in the meat. The aroma is bright, meaty, the taste is delicate, without smoking impurities.

On the shelves are found as whole loaves sausages sold by weight, as well as already cut slices in vacuum packed. Last option meets the requirements of the modern consumer as much as possible: convenience and speed.

Interestingly, not all varieties of mortadella are prepared in this way. Some of them are not even boiled sausages and are more like (Mortadella della val d'Ossola, Mortadella di Amatrice, Mortadella di Camaiore, Mortadella di Campotosto). Another unusual meat product is Mortadella di fegato. This product is from raw liver, which does not pass heat treatment, but is dried for 4-5 months.

In Russia and on the territory of the post-Soviet space, the Doktorskaya sausage is an analogue of mortadella.

However, this product is usually made from a mixture of beef and pork and does not contain pieces of lard. As spices for it use coriander and nutmeg. Besides Russian product supplemented with eggs and milk. Italians believe that such components interrupt the taste of meat.

Recipe at home

Cooking sausages at home is quite interesting process. In addition, it allows you to save some money on the purchase of a finished product. Of course, if we are talking about high quality sausage. The most tempting option for a home exclusive is mortadella. The recipe takes a minimum of time, and the result is amazing in taste.

Make sure you have on hand:

• Minced pork 300-400 g;
• Handful of shelled pistachios (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste;
• Pork intestines (shell);
• Leg-split;
• Ice cubes.

We put the prepared minced meat in a large container and mix with salt, pepper and part of the pistachios. Blend everything with an immersion blender to a smooth, paste-like consistency. Then add the remaining pistachios and mix well. We fill the pre-washed intestines with a mixture using a meat grinder or a spoon.

We tie the ends of the intestines with twine and put in the oven, heated to 80 degrees. The procedure for preparing mortadella takes at least 6 hours. After the lapse of time, we take out our sausage and lower it into a basin with cold water and ice cubes for 3-4 minutes. Thus, we stop the cooking process. We take the product out of the water, dry it on a clean cloth and send it to the refrigerator.

Bring the cooked mortadella to the ideal according to this simple recipe You can follow even simpler recommendations:

• In order to get the output excellent sausage, you need to choose quality meat. The percentage of fat in it should be about 30%.
• If you do not have twine at hand, then sew the ends of the intestine with a needle and a thick thread.
• Those who prefer moister meat products should put a pot of water in the oven while the sausage is cooking.
• The ingredients of the recipe can be slightly modified to your liking. For example, instead of black pepper, put white or red, add garlic and other spices, or exclude pistachios.

Don't forget to keep finished product preferably no more than a week. Unless, of course, you eat it first.

How and with what to eat

Mortadella is very versatile in gastronomic preferences. It can be eaten both separately from other products, and, combining with something, as part of numerous recipes.

Traditionally, the sausage is cut into thin slices or small cubes and eaten accompanied by bread (rosetta or crescent) or bread sticks. Mortadella is supplemented with a few drops.

It is used in minced meat for making tortellini, stews, sauces, pies and salads. It acts as a component of soups, omelettes and meat rolls. Pairs well with sparkling wines and champagne.

Calorie content and benefits

Mortadella is much less high-calorie product than it seems at first glance. 100 g of the product contains only 288 kcal which are made up of:

• Proteins 15.7 g;
• Fats 25.0 g;
• Carbohydrates 0 g

But despite relatively low calorie, enough in the product high content fat and cholesterol (60-70 mg). In addition, the share distribution fatty acids outweighs in the direction of saturated. These aspects make mortadella not entirely suitable for the diet of people suffering from high cholesterol or overweight.

Sausage is also rich in sodium found in table salt. Its excessive presence in the diet in the long term can lead to the development of hypertension.

The proteins that make up mortadella have a high biological value. Their amino acid set mainly includes glutamic and aspartic acids, leucine and lysine. The last two are included in the list essential amino acids that enter the human body only with food.

Mortadella has a high mineral content, especially iron, phosphorus and zinc. Therefore, it can be considered an ideal food for people who perform physical activity and need to consume “correct energy”. Vitamins B1, B2 and niacin are another undoubted plus of the product. They are directly involved in the regulation of metabolism.

From the above, we can conclude that the use of mortadella can be more systematic than constant. Medium portion sausages for healthy person leading active image life, should not exceed 60-80 g. For athletes with severe physical activity it is allowed to eat more mortadella at one meal.

Price for 1 kg

The cost of mortadella in Italy directly depends on the variety and manufacturer. The most valuable sausage from Bologna with the IGP quality mark can be bought within 12-25 Euro per 1 kg.

In Moscow, the cost of Italian mortadella varies from 1000 to 2200 rubles per 1 kg.

Now, after reading this article, do you understand the significant differences between mortadella and domestic sausages? If so, then you definitely need to go to the republic for a tasting of fragrant Bologna. Live briskly, hurry to love, take care of your loved ones and remember: “They don’t go to Italy with their Doctor’s!”

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