Bologna sausage is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sausageA sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
derived from and definitely not similar to the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
mortadellaMortadella is a large Italian sausage or cold cut made of finely hashed or ground, heat-cured pork sausage, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat . Mortadella is a staple product of Bologna, Italy...
(a finely hashed/ground pork sausage containing cubes of
lardLard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
that originated in the Italian city of
BolognaBologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
). It is commonly called
boloney,
baloney or, more formally,
bologna. In Pittsburgh and the surrounding area of southwestern
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
it is called
jumbo. U.S. government regulations require American bologna to be finely ground, and without visible pieces of lard. Bologna can alternatively be made out of
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
,
turkeyA turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
,
beefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
,
porkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
,
venisonVenison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer but also other animals such as antelope, wild boar, etc.-Etymology:The word derives from the Latin vēnor...
or
soy proteinSoy protein is a protein that is isolated from soybean. It is made from dehulled, defatted soybean meal. Dehulled and defatted soybeans are processed into three kinds of high protein commercial products : soy flour, concentrates, and isolates. Soy protein isolate has been used since 1959 in foods ...
.
Bologna
Bologna is similar to
hot dogA hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
s, although it is larger and almost always served sliced.
Beef bologna
This all-beef version is usually more of a red color than its mixed-meat counterpart.
German bologna
Sometimes referred to as garlic bologna, this sausage differs from traditional bologna due to various seasonings, most typically
garlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
being added to the recipe. Although referred to as German Bologna elsewhere, it is usually called
Fleischwurst in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and
ExtrawurstExtrawurst can be either a type of sausage or part of a German idiomatic expression.- Sausage type :Extrawurst is a type of Austrian scalded sausage. It is moist, light coloured, fine textured and made from a well-spiced mixture of beef, pork and bacon fat...
in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Other varieties, usually upscale, are sometimes called
Lyoner ("
LyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
sausage") and usually does not contain a noticeable amount of garlic, while
Fleischwurst is often flavored with garlic.
In Germany, "regular" bologna is referred to as
Mortadella, and is mostly identical and made out of the same meats as its American counterpart, although it often contains
pistachioThe pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
s. The original, larger and less finely ground
Mortadella is called
Italienische Mortadella.
Lebanon bolognaLebanon bologna is a type of cured, smoked, fermented, semi-dry sausage. This all-beef sausage is similar in appearance and texture to salami, although it is somewhat darker colored. Lebanon bologna has a distinct tangy flavor, more so than other fermented meat products such as summer sausage...
Named for Lebanon County, this is the
Pennsylvania DutchPennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
variety of the
sausageA sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
. Distinguished by its smokey taste and
darkDark commonly refers to darkness, the absence of light.Dark may also refer to:*Evil, sinister or malign*Dark , a term used to describe a broadcasting service that has ceased transmission...
,
coarseCoarse may refer to:*Bosnian Coarse-Haired Hound, developed by 19th century Bosnian hunters as a scent hound.*Coarse bubble diffusers, produce 1/4 to 1/2 inch bubbles which rise rapidly from the floor of a wastewater treatment plant or sewage treatment plant tank.*Coarse fishing, an angling method,...
appearance, this is one of the more extreme flavors of bologna.
Bologna bowl
Occasionally bologna is heated up so it takes the shape of a bowl, which may be filled with cheese or other fillings.
Colloquial usage
In
American EnglishAmerican English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
,
baloney is also a colloquial expression for "nonsense", or "
bullshitBullshit is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism bull or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive, although bullshit is commonly used in British English...
".
See also
- Bologna sandwich
The bologna sandwich or baloney sandwich is a common and inexpensive lunch choice in the United States and Canada. It is traditionally made from pre-sliced bologna sausage between slices of white bread, along with various condiments, such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise...
- Giò lụa - a Vietnamese sausage, similar to bologna
- Lebanon bologna
Lebanon bologna is a type of cured, smoked, fermented, semi-dry sausage. This all-beef sausage is similar in appearance and texture to salami, although it is somewhat darker colored. Lebanon bologna has a distinct tangy flavor, more so than other fermented meat products such as summer sausage...