In cheap mortadella, Zivieri adds, its distinctive piggy smell is added chemically, ‘like a perfume’. I watch as the mixed meat and fat is squeezed into its casing, then deftly wrapped in twine.

Importantly, unlike bologna, mortadella is guaranteed to be pork instead of a mix of different mystery meats. Due to these pale chunks of fat in the meat, and about 15% of mortadella is typically ...