Bologna Sausage - Wikipedia

American sausage "Baloney" redirects here. For other uses, see Baloney (disambiguation). Bologna sausage in sausage form and sliced

Bologna sausage, informally baloney (/bəˈloʊni/ bə-LOH-nee),[1] is an American cooked sausage which is an imitation of genuine Italian mortadella Bologna PGI, a variety of mortadella, a large salume.[2] Its seasonings, which include black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, celery seed, coriander, and myrtle berries, give it its flavor.

Similar imitations of mortadella Bologna include parizer[3] (Parisian sausage) in Hungary, Romania, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia; polony[4] in Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and Western Australia; devon in most states of Australia; and fritz in South Australia.[5]

In North America, a simple and popular use is in the bologna sandwich. In the Southern United States, a bologna cake exists which is bologna slices layered with seasoned cream cheese to make the appearance of a cake.[6]

Variations

[edit]

Aside from pork, bologna can be made out of chicken, turkey, beef, venison, a combination of meats or soy protein.

US bologna

[edit]

US federal government regulations require American bologna to be finely ground.[7] "Frankfurter, frank, furter, hotdog, weiner, vienna, bologna, garlic bologna, knockwurst, and similar products" all use the same standard of identity defined in 9 CFR 319.180. They belong to the category of cooked sausages.[8]

It is historically and geographically associated with the German-American immigrant community. There can be significant variation among regional styles: Northern Ohioans prefer coarser-ground straight German-style bolognas, while Southern Ohioans prefer the finer-ground ring bologna.[9]

Rag bologna

[edit]

Rag bologna is a long stick, or "chub", of high-fat bologna native to West Tennessee and its surrounding area, unavailable elsewhere. It is traditionally sold wrapped in a cloth rag, and has a higher content of filler than that of regular bologna. Milk solids, flour, cereal, and spices are added during processing, and the roll of bologna is bathed in lactic acid before being coated in paraffin wax. It is generally eaten on white bread with mustard and pickles, but is also a staple of family gatherings, where thick slices are smoked and barbecued along with other meats.[10] In Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada, a type of rag bologna referred to as "wax" bologna is sliced thickly and fried, which is referred to as "Newfie steak".[11]

Ring bologna

[edit]

Ring bologna is much smaller in diameter than standard bologna. It is better suited for slicing and serving on crackers, either as a snack or hors d'oeuvre. It is generally sold as an entire link rather than sliced. The link is arranged as a semicircle or "ring" when prepared for sale (hence the name).[12] Pickled bologna is usually made from ring bologna soaked in vinegar and typical pickling spices.[13]

Polony

[edit]

In England, Ireland and also Western Australia, a polony is a finely ground pork-and-beef sausage. The name, likely derived from "Bologna", has been in use since the 17th century. The modern product is usually cooked in a red or orange skin and is served as cold slices.[14] In England polony can also be used for the pork sausage instead of bologna.[2][15]

In Scotland, polony is a finely ground seasoned cured pork sausage often eaten in a roll, most commonly with a fried egg, or as part of a full breakfast. It is cooked in a red skin, served in slices by butcher shops, and fried or grilled before eating. It is particularly popular in Dundee and the north east of Scotland generally.[16][17]

In New Zealand, polony is a type of cocktail sausage with pink or red artificially-coloured skin similar to, but much smaller than, a saveloy. Miniature polonies in New Zealand are called "Cheerios" and often are eaten boiled with tomato sauce. In New Zealand, polony is also called "Luncheon Sausage" or simply "Luncheon".[18]

South African polony is similar to bologna in constitution and appearance, and is typically inexpensive. Large-diameter (artificially coloured) pink polonies are called "French polony", with thinner rolls referred to simply as "polony". Garlic polony is also widely available.[19]

In 2018 a South African factory that produced polony and other processed meats was associated with a listeriosis outbreak that killed approximately 216 people and sickened a further thousand.[20]

Vegetarian bologna

[edit]

Various vegetarian and vegan versions of bologna are available. A typical UK recipe uses soy and wheat protein in place of lean meat and palm oil instead of fat together with starch, carrageenan, and flavorings. It can be eaten cold or cooked in the same ways as traditional bologna.[21]

See also

[edit]

• Lebanon bologna

References

[edit]

1. ^ "baloney." Archived 23 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 14 October 2011.
2. ^ a b "What The Heck Is In Bologna, Anyway?". Huffington Post. 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
3. ^ "Bologna (Parizer)". Muncan Food Corp. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
4. ^ "Polony". meatsandsausages.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
5. ^ Packer, Stephanie (20 June 2014). "Is it fritz or devon?". heraldsun.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
6. ^ Benilyn (5 July 2021). "Easy 3-Ingredient Bologna Cake". IzzyCooking. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
7. ^ "Hot Dogs and Food Safety". fsis.usda.gov. US: Food Safety and Inspection Service, Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
8. ^ "9 CFR 319.180 -- Frankfurter, frank, furter, hotdog, weiner, vienna, bologna, garlic bologna, knockwurst, and similar products". ecfr.gov. US: Code of Federal Regulations. 30 October 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
9. ^ McKeever, Amy (2 December 2016). "How Lunch Became Full of Bologna". Eater.com.
10. ^ Randal, Oulton (11 August 2004). "Rag Baloney". CooksInfo.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
11. ^ "Newfoundland Steak: An In-Depth Look at Bologna". Newfoundland Times. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
12. ^ Tatum, Malcolm (16 May 2024). "What is Ring Bologna?". wiseGeek.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
13. ^ Bir, Sara (10 August 2018) [3 November 2014]. "In the Midwest, Great Bologna Is a Way of Life". seriouseats.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
14. ^ "Polony". Foods of England. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
15. ^ "Made in Britain the history behind food". The Independent. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
16. ^ "Home made Polony". onlinebutcher.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
17. ^ "The Windygates Sausage Heist". Old Weird Scotland. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
18. ^ "Butcher's secret to success is don't mess with a good recipe". stuff.co.nz. 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
19. ^ "Special Garlic Polony". Eskort.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
20. ^ Child, Katharine (4 March 2018). "Enterprise polony identified as source of listeria outbreak". timeslive.co.za. Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
21. ^ "Slicing Sausage / Bologna". frysvegetarian.co.uk. Fry Family Food. 16 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.

v t e Sausage
Overview	Casings List of sausages List of sausage dishes Sausage making
Fresh sausage	Biała kiełbasa Boerewors Boudin Braadworst Bratwurst Breakfast Carniolan Chipolata Cotechino Debrecener Hmong Knackwurst Kohlwurst Kupati Italian Italian American Loukaniko Merguez Sai oua Thüringer Weißwurst
Dry sausage	Salami Cacciatore Ciauscolo Felino Finocchiona Genoa salami Genovese di Sant'Olcese 'Nduja Prasky Soppressata Strolghino Ticinese Other Chinese Chorizo Fuet Landjäger Longaniza Lukanka Metworst Naem Pepperoni Sai gork Sai krok Isan Salsiz Saucisson Sobrassada Sujuk
Smoked sausage	Andouille Kolbász Krakowska Kulen Lebanon bologna Linguiça Mettwurst Morteau Rookworst Skilandis Teewurst
Cooked sausage	Battered Bologna Botifarra Bratwurst Braunschweiger Brühwurst Cervelat Chả lụa Cumberland Egg sausage Falukorv Frankfurter Würstchen St. Galler Bratwurst Gelbwurst Hot dog variations vegetarian Lincolnshire Lorne sausage Mortadella Mortadella Bologna Mortadella di Prato Mortadella of Campotosto Pigs in blankets Saveloy Vienna
Cooked smoked sausage	Bierwurst Bockwurst Kabanos Kielbasa
Precooked sausage	Black pudding Blood sausage Boudin Goetta Haggis Head cheese Kaszanka Kishka Knipp Kochwurst Liverwurst Pinkel Ryynimakkara Salceson Stippgrütze Sundae
Grilled sausage	Small sausage in large sausage Tongmo
Related articles	Charcuterie Dried meat List of dried foods Embutidos List of smoked foods Lunch meat Pâté Salumi Smallgoods
Category