Mortadella di Bologna IGP is the city's defining cured pork: a pink, pistachio-studded, finely emulsified sausage, hot-cooked, served sliced thin as antipasto or stacked in a tigella sandwich at every salumeria counter.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Mortadella has been cured in Bologna since the 14th century, with the first formal regulation issued in 1661 by Cardinal Farnese defining the legal pork-and-spice ratio. The name derives from the Roman mortarium (mortar) used to pound the pork. The IGP designation was granted by the European Commission on 12 June 1998, restricting production to Emilia-Romagna and four neighbouring regions, and codifying the cubes of throat-fat at 15 percent, the pistachio garnish and the slow steam cooking. Tamburini, Atti and Salumeria Simoni all slice it to order at the counter.
Common allergens: Pistachio
Tip from the editors. Mortadella is one of the few salumi that should be eaten the day it's sliced; it dries fast. Buy 100 to 200g at a time from a counter that slices to order.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Tamburini in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1932-founded salumeria-and-self-service operating from Via Caprarie, with cured-meat counters, a daily-changing carte and aperitivo from 18:00.
Signature: Mortadella tagliere, Tortellini in brodo, Cotechino
Order: The mortadella tagliere, the daily pasta plate, a tigella with squacquerone.
Tip: The self-service runs 11:00 to 22:00 daily; the salumi counter closes at 19:30 and the aperitivo crowd takes over after 18:00.
Atti in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1880-founded salumeria-and-pasticceria with two adjoining shops on Via Caprarie, slicing mortadella to order and baking the certosino di Bologna.
Tip: The bakery counter runs from 07:30; mortadella slicing takes 5 minutes per order and the queue thins after 11:00. Cash and card both fine.
Worth the queue: Mortadella di Bologna IGP
Paolo Atti & Figli in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1880-founded sfoglina-and-pasticceria with hand-rolled tortellini sold by weight, plus the certosino di Bologna at Christmas.
Tip: The pasta counter runs from 07:00; tortellini sell out by 12:30 on Saturdays. The Christmas certosino orders open in November.
Worth the queue: Tortellini and tagliatelle
Salumeria Simoni on Via Drapperie in Bologna's Quadrilatero is the 1960s-founded family salumeria with a dine-in tasting room behind the counter, slicing mortadella and prosciutto to order.
Signature: Mortadella platter, Tigelle, Tortellini in brodo
Order: The mortadella platter, the tigelle with squacquerone, the prosciutto di Parma 24-month.
Tip: The dine-in tasting room behind the counter takes walk-ins for the tagliere; the salumi counter is busiest at 11:00.
Why locals love it: 1465-founded wine-only osteria where regulars bring food from the surrounding salumerie; the city's oldest tavern, never on a tourist guide.
Tip: Cash only. Bring food from Tamburini or Paolo Atti; the osteria sells only wine. Closed Sunday.
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