There are several theories about the origin of the name mortadella. The locals in Bologna are convinced it originates from mortarium, Latin for mortar. Reference is made to two Roman gravestones in the city, one showing a mortar, the other one pigs. Far-fetched perhaps, but it is known that Romans already made plenty of sausages and pounded the meat in a mortar.
Medieval mortadella
The name appears in the oldest medieval cookbook from Italy, the (circa 1300). In it, however, are balls of minced