The international appeal of Italian cured meats goes without saying, above all those from protected geographical areas. Mortadella igp is obviously no exception and is one of Italy’s most well-known and sought after fine ham products. International sales trends of mortadella igp demonstrate this, with exports making up 10% of total sales in 2013. The European market is the most important with Germany, France and Spain the top consumers in that order. Nevertheless, a real opportunity to increase sales presents itself with the Chinese government’s decision to allow imports of heat-treated cured meats. The ruling, announced at the beginning of the year, currently only applies to a limited number of companies, but this looks set to expand in the near future. In light of the high demand from Chinese consumers for healthy foods, a study has been commissioned by the Consorzio della Mortadella di Bologna igp (Bologna Consortium for Mortadella igp) which highlights the health benefits of mortadella. Ofen viewed, incorrectly, as a “fatty” food, the study proves that 100g of Mortadella contains fewer calories than a plate of pasta and 200g contains the same amount of cholesterol as a portion of oily fish such as sea bass.
Moreover, over the last 20 years, the salt, fat and cholesterol content of mortadella has been radically reduced and the protein content increased. Today the average portion provides around 100 to 140 calories, exactly the same as a small pot of yoghurt. The experts at the Consortium suggest mortadella be served with fruit such as grapes, apples, pears and cherries, the acidity of which is offset perfectly by the rich flavour of the mortadella.