Mortara Goose Salami is a specialty of Lomellina, an area in the province of Pavia, in Lombardy, which is delimited by the rivers Po, Ticino, and Sesia. Thanks to the abundance of grazing herbs and freshwater springs, goose farming has been practiced in this area since ancient times.

The town of Mortara, which gives its name to the local salami, is the historical and geographical center of this territory. It seems that the tradition of making goose salami goes back to the times of Ludovico “Il Moro,” when the local Jewish community first commissioned salami-makers to prepare non-pork, kosher sausages for them.

But, according to several accounts—including that of renowned nineteenth century Italian cuisine expert Pellegrino Artusi who in his 1891 book on “The Science of Cooking and Eating Well” recounted an eyewitness account of salami making at Lomellina—since there wasn’t enough goose meat around to meet the demand for goose salami by non-Jews, some salami-makers invented a sausage made with a mixture of goose and pork meat.