Prato, Mortadella, famous local salami

This salami has been made in Prato since the sixteenth century when it was a lot more popular than it is today. Young people from Prato today don’t realize that Prato mortadella was traditionally used to fill tortellini at Christmas and that it was one of the most common salamis eaten in the town.  What makes it different is that it has special spices and liqueur called ‘alkermes’ added to it. This liqueur is usually used in sweets and cakes such as the typical Prato confectionery peaches. During the 80s a new recipe for this salami was devised in the hope of making it appeal to more modern tastes.This mortadella should be eaten either warm or cold, sliced or cubed, and goes perfectly with liver paté crostini and all the other classic Tuscan starters.