00:00 It is often labeled as a food that is bad for you,
00:06 because it is full of fats and a source of cholesterol,
00:10 and for this reason it is absolutely avoided by some,
00:14 or eaten, even with some remorse, by others.
00:19 But mortadella, this typically Italian salami,
00:24 with its classic cylindrical shape, its pink color,
00:27 with its unmistakable smell, this unmistakable scent,
00:32 is it really a food that hurts?
00:34 Or at least in part we have to re-update our most widespread beliefs?
00:40 We'll talk about it shortly, after the opening.
00:42 (explosion)
00:44 (music)
01:09 Did you know that 100 grams of good quality mortadella
01:12 contain the same amount of cholesterol as 100 grams of yeast
01:19 or 100 grams of leek that has been deprived of its skin?
01:25 And did you know that a standard portion of mortadella,
01:29 that is 50 grams of this salami,
01:32 is able to cover about 20% of our daily need for omega-3?
01:39 So, at this point, we have to re-update, as I said at the opening,
01:44 partially our beliefs on this salami,
01:48 which is very widespread in our country.
01:51 Mortadella comes from pork, which can be lean or fat,
01:56 a meat that is subjected to a thin grinding.
01:59 So, once it is ground, it is added to different spices,
02:04 and this mixture is then packed in a bag to be steamed for several hours.
02:11 Mortadella is very versatile and in the kitchen,
02:15 and can be used together with other salads or cheese as an appetizer.
02:21 It is also used to flavor hot dishes, such as lasagna or baked pasta.
02:27 And then, it is used in a classic way, cut into thin slices,
02:33 to be used to stuff the most preferred sandwiches.
02:37 In Italy, there are several varieties of mortadella,
02:41 which are different from each other, because they are produced in different regions.
02:45 The most famous is the mortadella from Bologna,
02:48 which is a real "Dop" product, that is, it is called "Protetta"
02:52 but then there is the mortadella from Prato, produced in Tuscany,
02:56 the mortadella from Abruzzo, the mortadella from Amatrice, produced in Lazio.
03:01 Mortadella that are different from each other because of the different types of spices
03:06 that are added to the pork.
03:09 But where does the mortadella originate from?
03:12 What is its history? And above all, where does its name derive from?
03:16 Let's hear what Marco Renna has to say about it.
03:19 [Music]
03:26 Mortadella is one of the pillars of the Italian gastronomic tradition,
03:31 a tradition that has very ancient origins,
03:34 that we could even go back to the times of ancient Rome,
03:38 because the word mortadella could derive from the Latin word "murtatum", "mortaio",
03:46 that is, meat minced in the mortar.
03:50 In reality, however, there is a moment in history
03:53 in which mortadella finds, so to speak, the right of citizenship
03:59 within a very broad range of gastronomic proposals.
04:04 This happens in Bologna in the first half of the 17th century
04:09 when the Bolognese Vincenzo Tanara prepares a recipe
04:13 in which he gives important indications about the spices to be used
04:18 and the type of pork to be used, with respective doses.
04:24 In the more recent period, in the 1970s,
04:28 mortadella has become a real indicator of social differences.
04:34 Many companies made snacks for their workers
04:39 by preparing a sandwich with mortadella
04:43 and not a sandwich with raw ham, for example,
04:46 which was much more expensive.
04:49 This does not mean that mortadella was a snack of a lower category
04:55 or with a lower dignity,
04:57 but it ended up representing a real model of reference
05:02 for all those popular classes
05:05 that today cannot and could not do without mortadella.
05:10 100 grams of mortadella bring about 288 calories.
05:21 I am referring to the Bologna mortadella GP,
05:24 whose caloric intake is not so high compared to that of other animal sources.
05:29 100 grams of mortadella contain 15 grams of protein.
05:32 These are high-value proteins that present all the essential amino acids,
05:36 in particular, the glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine and leucine.
05:41 But above all, mortadella, like all snacks, is a source of fats.
05:45 In particular, in mortadella there are especially saturated fatty acids,
05:49 which in time have also left room for a good amount of unsaturated fatty acids.
05:54 But not only that, in mortadella we have a good amount of micronutrients,
05:58 vitamins, mostly B-group vitamins, B1, B2 and B3 vitamins,
06:02 and minerals, such as iron, phosphorus and zinc.
06:05 Mortadella can also be added to a diet that is not a daily diet,
06:09 but perhaps a weekly diet,
06:11 as the intake of 50 grams of mortadella once or twice a week
06:15 allows us to use all the important nutrients present in this snack,
06:20 as we have seen, proteins, minerals and vitamins,
06:22 without running into health-related complications.
06:26 If consumed in the right amount and above all in combination with a balanced and balanced diet,
06:32 mortadella can offer our health a series of benefits,
06:36 benefits that we will now point out.
06:39 Mortadella is a source of proteins of high biological value,
06:47 that is, proteins that are not in the form of proteins,
06:51 but in the form of amino acids,
06:55 which are absolutely essential for building muscles,
06:59 but also for building all the tissues of our body.
07:03 It is an important ally of the low-calorie diet,
07:11 as it is a high-satiety food,
07:14 precisely because of its high protein content.
07:18 Mortadella contains many vitamins, especially of the B group,
07:22 vitamins that are very important in metabolic processes,
07:26 that is, in those processes that allow our body to use
07:30 proteins, fats and carbohydrates to draw energy,
07:34 but also vitamins that are very important to support the functions of the nervous system
07:39 and to facilitate the multiplication of the cells.
07:43 of the blood and of our immune system.
07:47 Mortadella also contains minerals,
07:53 and among the minerals there are iron, zinc and selenium,
07:56 which are absolutely important for supporting the functions of the immune system,
08:01 but also to promote the production of enzymes
08:04 that intervene in the vital metabolic processes for our body.
08:11 Proteins and minerals make mortadella a very useful food
08:15 for those who need a high-nutritional diet,
08:19 such as athletes.
08:21 Mortadella can be a better choice than red meat,
08:29 which is richer in saturated fats,
08:32 so if you want to check the composition of the fat,
08:36 you can use a diet that is more balanced,
08:39 so if you want to check the composition of the fat in the mortadella,
08:43 you can notice in the latter a greater amount of unsaturated fats,
08:47 such as omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9,
08:50 which are much more useful than saturated fats for our health.
08:54 Oleic acid is abundant in the fat of mortadella,
09:03 and this unsaturated fatty acid is associated with three important functions
09:07 production of hormones, regeneration of cellular membranes,
09:11 and energy production.
09:13 Like all foods, mortadella can have contraindications
09:21 if consumed in excessive quantities or in certain pathological conditions.
09:25 Precisely because of its production of pork,
09:29 if eaten in large quantities,
09:31 mortadella can certainly favor the appearance of obesity
09:35 or at least overweight,
09:37 it can generate a series of problems in terms of increased blood fat
09:42 or cardiovascular complications.
09:45 On the other hand, being composed of pork,
09:48 which is a food with a liberating stamina with the addition of spices,
09:52 it can create some problems, especially for allergic subjects.
09:57 I also remind you that mortadella, being a bagged food,
10:01 can go against bacterial contamination if not properly preserved.
10:06 I said before that in mortadella there are important amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids,
10:15 which are particularly effective
10:18 also because they influence the overall performance of cognitive functions,
10:23 increasing memory, but above all increasing the tone of humor,
10:28 and on the other hand, a sandwich with mortadella
10:31 can certainly represent a bite of happiness.
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