FOOD NEWS
The Ancient Origins Of The Bologna Sandwich
By David Tran
Bologna is an American staple that kids devour during lunch, but despite how it’s seen in the United States, bologna is an exquisite meat delicacy that dates back millennia. The lunch meat originally hailed from the Italian city of Bologna and has been enjoyed for over 2,000 years.
Bologna is derived from mortadella, a type of Italian sausage so cherished that the Catholic Church created a legal definition for it in 1661. Bologna is believed to have been introduced to the United States by German immigrants during the 19th century, and its affordability made it popular during the Great Depression.
During the early 20th century, the popularity of sandwiches propelled the meat into a cultural institution of American cuisine, particularly when Oscar Mayer introduced vacuum-sealed packaging during the 1920s. This allowed deli meats to last longer, and soon Oscar Mayer was the face of bologna sandwiches, a status cemented by memorable commercial jingles in 1965 and 1973.