Mortadella di Prato is a traditional sausage made from pork and selected spices and flavorings. Made in Tuscany since the 16th century, mortadella was first introduced as a way to make use of pork cuts of lesser quality and meat scraps left over from the making of other salami products.
Later, in the early 20th century in the provinces of Prato and Pistoia, these less popular meat cuts were typically seasoned with spices and liqueurs, formed into sausages and boiled. This particular kind of sausage is still produced according to an old recipe: mortadella di Prato is a refined and cooked meat product, flavored with garlic, mace, pepper, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves, all stuffed into a natural casing.
It has quite a unique sweet to spicy flavor and a distinct rosy color due to adding Alchermes liqueur to the meat mixture. Mortadella di Prato is one of the basic ingredients for the filling of Christmas tortellini, as well as being one of the most widely consumed sausages.
It is traditionally served at room temperature, in slices or chunks, accompanied by slices of bozza pratese, a local variety of sourdough bread.
