Bladders

Bladders are the urinary bladders of slaughtered animals, traditionally cleaned, salted, and used as natural casings for large sausages and cured meats. Their size and strength suit products such as mortadella-style sausages and traditional hams matured in bladder, where the casing must contain a large mass during long curing. Modern manufacture increasingly replaces them with collagen or plastic casings for uniformity, hygiene, and ease of handling, though artisanal producers keep the tradition alive for heritage products. Like all natural casings, they demand scrupulous cleaning, salting, and inspection, since casings contact the meat surface intimately throughout maturation.