Americans eat 800 million pounds of bologna annually, it’s no wonder then that it has it’s own holiday, today is National Bologna Day.

Bologna sausage is an American sausage similar to the Italian martadella. It is generally made from low-value scraps (trimmings from steaks, roasts or other meat cuts). Because it is made from scraps, this may be the origin of the slang world baloney, meaning “nonsense.” Bologna is essentially made from much of the same meats as hot dogs.

There are many variations of bologna:

• Beef Bologna This is an all beef version, it is usually more of a red color than its mixed-meat counterpart.
• Kosher Bologna Typically made with only beef, but sometimes made from turkey. The manufacture of this variety of bologna must be supervised by a mashgiach to be certified kosher.
• German Bologna Also known as Garlic Bologna, this sausage is typically distinguished by adding garlic to the recipe. Despite the name, bologna in Germany – where it is very common and known as Fleischwurst or, for better varieties, Lyoner (“Lyon sausage”) – does not usually contain a noticeable amount of garlic.
• 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 flavors of bologna. New Zealand bologna
• In New Zealand bologna is actually referred to as savaloys or cheerios, and are essentially bologna meat in a red casing or other colors such as purple.
• South Africa polony In South Africa bologna is referred to as polony or French polony, and is often sold in thick sausage form which can be sliced onto sandwiches. Major producers include Eskort, Bokkie and Enterprise.

The easiest way to celebrate today is to have yourself a bologna sandwich. But if you want to get a little bit more extravagant, you can follow some of these recipes.

Image from www.enasco.com.