Bologna sausage

For the city, see Bologna.

Bologna sausage is an American version of the Italian mortadella (a finely hashed/ground pork sausage with lard pieces, which originated in the Italian city of Bologna). The American version can alternatively be made out of chicken, turkey, beef, pork, or soybeans. It is commonly called bologna and often pronounced (by hypercorrection) and/or spelled baloney. The "baloney" pronunciation can be used to mean "lies" and/or to express disbelief (see below).

This food is usually served in round uniform slices pre-cut in a package or sliced at a deli, though many brands are sold as large chunks to be sliced by the consumer. Minced bologna is popularly produced and sold by Oscar Mayer, which had a famous advertising campaign in the 1970s with a well-known jingle ("My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R..."), which was sung by Andy Lambros. There are many other manufacturers as well, including local delis and grocery store meat counters.

Bologna sausage is typically served in a sandwich, often for lunch; hence, it is one of the most common "cold cuts" in the U.S. However, bologna may also be served fried or wrapped around mashed potatoes or pastry dough and baked as a version of "pigs in blankets".

Ring bologna can be found in two inch (5 cm) diameter sausages that are normally about a foot long (30 cm). These can often be found pickled in a combination of vinegar, salt, sugar and spices.

Bologna sausage is commonly believed to be created from low quality scraps of meat cuts. It is assumed that this food, therefore, is the origin of the slang word baloney, meaning "nonsense". An alternative etymology suggests that baloney is a corruption, through the French, of the city of Bologna, Italy. As the university at Bologna was known for its legal education, the French, and later English, came to call legal clap-trap balogna, or baloney.

Bologna is also popular breakfast food in Newfoundland, served fried as a substitute to ham slices. It is also sometimes barbecued as well. In either case, it is referred to as "Newfie Steak". Sometimes Newfoundlanders will call it "dog" as well, referring to its scrappish composition.

A similar sausage is known in Australia variably as Devon, fritz, Belgium, luncheon, or polony. Which name is used is dependent on which state one is in.

In Pittsburgh, bologna is sometimes referred to as "jumbo". In Chicago, bologna is often called bosaus, a shortened version of bologna sausage.

Varieties

Bologna In general, bologna comprises chicken, beef, pork, veal, and/or other ingedients. It is constitutionally much the same as frankfurters, although larger and sliced.

Beef Bologna This is an all beef version, it is usually more of a red colour than its mixed-meat counterpart.

Kosher Bologna Typically made only of beef, but sometimes made from turkey. The manufacture of this variety of bologna is supervised by a rabbi to be certified kosher.

German Bologna Also known as Garlic Bologna, this sausage is typically distinguished by adding garlic to the recipe.

Lebanon Bologna Named for Lebanon County, this is the Pennsylvania Dutch variety of the sausage. Distinguished by its smokey taste and dark, coarse appearance, this is one of the more extreme flavours of bologna.

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