We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Grocery Store Deli Meat, and They All Said the Same One - Dining and Cooking

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The sun is out, and it’s officially sandwich season. Sure, sandwiches are eaten year-round (at least in my house), but the perfectly portable, handheld meal just screams summertime eating. It’s the ideal thing to pull out and enjoy at a park or beach picnic We’re set on making our sandwiches as delicious as they can be, and that all starts with really great deli meats.

But, as the age-old question goes, which one is the best to buy? For that, we went to our trusted chef friends to see which deli meats they keep in their fridge. The unanimous and surprising recommendation? Mortadella.

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The Best Deli Meat to Buy, According to Chefs

Mortadella is the Italian-cured cousin of bologna. It is a pork sausage that actually originates from Bologna, Italy, and is the undisputed favorite among chefs. The first person that I asked was Ashia Aubourg, Portugal-based recipe developer and chef resident at Asha’s Place in Lisbon (and really good friend of mine). She is a steadfast mortadella fan, and claims that she loved it “before it became trendy” because it reminded her of the “adult version of bologna.” She likes all kinds of mortadella, but, according to her, the Boar’s Head mortadella is always a winner.

She says that it’s so great because it can “stand on its own in a sandwich and of course just gets better when you layer it with cheeses, tapanades, oils, and chili pastes.” She also says “it’s great fried.”

Meanwhile, Ohm Suansilphong, executive chef at Kru in Brooklyn, is a major deli meat fan. His favorite is a Thai-style version of mortadella that he gets in Thailand, but he’s an equal mortadella opportunist and says it’s best eaten with “sliced Thai chilies.”

And last, but certainly not least, is Mei Liao, recipe developer and content creator, who is also a major mortadella fan. “I love the mix of textures with the bits of nuts, fat, and spices. It’s also nostalgic even though I didn’t grow up with it.” What more could you want?

Are you a fan of mortadella? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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