If you've ever bitten into a slice of bologna and wondered, "What even is bologna?" -- well, the answer is a bit complicated. Its history goes back almost 2,000 years to Italy, where bologna's fancier ancestor, mortadella, was born. Long before it became a staple of deli counters and school lunches, mortadella was central to Bologna, Italy, prized for its rich history and careful craftsmanship.
Mortadella's story starts in ancient Rome, where it wasn't just food -- it was fuel. Roman soldiers once relied on the cold cut to keep them fed during long campaigns. Artifacts in Bologna's Museo Civico Archeologico show how this cured meat was a symbol of regional pride, feeding armies and citizens alike for centuries.
