Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays: October 23rd, 2022. Did you know today is National Bologna Day. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t mind having a slice of Fried Bologna with Fried Potatoes.
National Bologna Day
On October 24th, make sure to bring brown bag lunches to work because it’s National Bologna Day! Bologna has its own day. Bologna is named after the Italian City of the same name, but down there they call it Mortadella, which is a Sausage with bits of Lard and Peppercorns in it. American Bologna, as you may have noticed, is distinctly different, but no less loved.
History of National Bologna Day
While the history of National Bologna Day may be short, the history of Bologna is long and lasting. For example, in 1661, Mortadella Bologna’s European Cousin was so protected, the Papacy decided to create a clear definition to distinguish it from other, lesser versions of finely ground Pork with chunks of fat.
Bologna, as known in America, is Mortadella without the fat chunks. Did you know Bologna is sold at baseball stadiums, lunch counters, delis, inside tin cans, and in the glass cases of butchers? Bologna can be fried and thrown on toasted Bread with Pickles, Onions, Tomatoes, and Lettuce. Bologna can be served cold with thick slices of Cheddar and White Bread. Bologna can be chopped up and mixed with crumbled, hard boiled Eggs, Mayo, and Veggies for a Bologna Salad.
No, matter how you enjoy Bologna which came to America most likely with the large German immigration at the turn of the Twentieth Century, establishing it as a de facto cuisine in the areas they settled in Midwest, Appalachia, Pennsylvania, and parts of the South.
From there, Bologna quickly took firm footing as one of the most popular American foods.
National Bologna Day Activities
Make a Bologna Sandwich
How else should you celebrate National Bologna Day than by enjoying it the way it was meant to be savored- between two slices of Bread! On National Bologna Day, try something new? Fry up Bologna and top it with an Egg? Or how about you pull out that Panini Press you never use and cook Bologna with a slice of Cheddar Cheese!
Make your own
You don’t need a giant assembly line to make your own Bologna. Bologna doesn’t even require that many ingredients. All you need is ground Beef, a Sugar-based curing mixture, Garlic and Onion Powder, and Liquid Smoke for that distinct taste. Mix the ingredients all up, mold them, then throw them in the oven. In an hour you’ll have your very own Bologna.
Make a Bologna Cake
This is actually not a joke, Bologna Cake is a real thing and it is exactly what it sounds like. Slices of Bologna, layer them, and use Cream Cheese for frosting. Spray Canned Cheese for decoration and serve with Crackers. Why We Love National Bologna Day
Kids love Bologna
Bologna, Mstard, White Bread, three ingredients that make for the cornerstone of a classic school-time lunch. There’s something about Bologna that kids love. Pair Bologna with a String Cheese and Fruit Snacks and you can guarantee your kids will have plenty of energy to get through the day.
Bologna comes in many styles
Bologna is more than just Oscar Meyer, Bologna comes in all kinds of styles and flavors. We’ve already talked a bit about Mortadella, but there’s also German Bologna and Lebanon Bologna which are distinctly different. There’s even something called Polony, which is popular in South Africa.
Bologna doesn’t pretend to be healthy
Of course it’s important to eat healthily, but sometimes you have to indulge in a guilty pleasure. That’s where Bologna comes to the rescue. In a world where everything is either Cholesterol-free or fat-free, Bologna isn’t afraid to be itself. Bologna is Gluten-free.Feast of Good & Plenty
There’s no need to hide your sweet tooth today because it’s Good & Plenty Day! Good & Plenty, is made up of white and pink candy-coated pieces of black Licorice. Good & Plenty is the oldest brand of Candy made in the United States.
Good & Plenty was first produced in 1893 by the Quaker City Confectionery Company in Philadelphia, Good & Plenty is now made by The Hershey Company. Good & Plenty’s memorable Choo Choo Charlie commercials first aired in 1950. The
Choo Choo Charlie commercials featured the train engineer powering his locomotive with Good & Plenty, and shaking a Good & Plenty box in a circular motion, and singing a jingle based on “The Ballad of Casey Jones.” From beginnings in the Nineteenth Century, to small screen stardom in the Twentieth Century, to being the focus of a holiday in the Twenty-First Century, Good & Plenty has been on quite a journey!
How to Observe National Good & Plenty Day
Celebrate by enjoying Good & Plenty! While you’re at it, watch Choo Choo Charlie commercials
This event does not currently have a sponsor.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
