Like hot dogs and SPAM, bologna is often regarded as something of a mystery meat. Regardless of your feelings about this much-maligned cold cut, bologna is a familiar presence in supermarkets, school cafeterias, and maybe even your own fridge. But what exactly is it?
How the Bologna Gets Made
Mortadella vs. Bologna
What’s in Your Bologna
How the Bologna Gets Made
Similar to the a handful of other curious foods, the answer really depends on the deli or manufacturer. The meat can be made from cured beef, chicken, or pork—or some combination of the three. Some varieties are made from premium cuts of meat, while others are made from ground-up organs, trimmings, and other unmentionables. However, products containing the latter are usually labeled as having “byproducts” or “variety meats,” and they’re hard to find in grocery stores nowadays, according to The Takeout.
The meat is cooked and smoked, and sometimes wrapped in a casing that’s made from the gastrointestinal tracts of cows, sheep, or hogs, according to The Journal Times. This is the norm for several varieties of sausage, and it sure beats synthetic casings, which can be made from collagen and sometimes plastic. However, the casings are often removed before the product is sold commercially.
Mortadella vs. Bologna
Although it’s now one of America’s favorite sandwich fillings, the lunch staple was named after the city of Bologna in northern Italy—even though Italians would turn their noses up at the stuff we’re sandwiching between two slices of white bread. (And don’t forget the processed American
