Cooked salame with pistachio

MORTADELLA DI BOLOGNA

The preparation of mortadella goes back to the Middle Ages, when the seasonings included myrtle berries. Mortadella is made in different sizes. The choicest being the larger ones. Mortadella uses the poorer cuts of meat that cannot be used for any other type of salame. The meat is ground very finely and mixed with coarsely ground backfat, plus the usual preserving agents, salt, finely ground white pepper, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, mixed spices, shelled pistachios, and wine. The mixture is packed into a beef bladder for large mortadella and into a hog bladder for smaller mortadella. Mortadella is then hung in an oven and cooked at about 225 F. (2 hrs. per 2 Ibs.). The finished product must be kept in a cool room at all times and refrigerated after being cut. The particular taste of this product is very different from any other type of salame.