Lebanon bologna

Type	Sausage
Course	Appetizer
Place of origin	Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Associated cuisine	Pennsylvania Dutch
Invented	Cold
Main ingredients	Beef
Ingredients generally used	Spices

Lebanon bologna is a type of cured, smoked, and fermented semidry beef sausage; it is not, in spite of its name, a pork-based bologna. Similar in appearance and texture to salami, it is somewhat darker in color, and is typically served as a cold cut or appetizer.

Lebanon bologna has a distinct, tangy flavor, more so than other generally similar fermented meat products such as summer sausage. Hardwood smoking imparts a strong smokiness to the traditionally prepared versions of the product; increasingly, liquid smoke is used as a substitute ^{[ citation needed]} for this costly time- and labor-intensive process.

Origin

Lebanon bologna was developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, prior to the 1780s ^[1] and was a common item by the early 1800s, reflecting the slow-cured and smoked sausage traditions of Western Europe. Still produced primarily in that area, it is found in markets throughout the United States and typically served as a cold cut and as an appetizer. In addition to the original, a sweet version is made.

Manufacture

Typically, curing salts are added to the ground and spiced beef to control microbial growth during processing. ^[2] The blended and stuffed sausage is then aged for 10 days prior to smoking to enrich lactic acid bacteria and allow for the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. ^[3] Fermentation occurs during a slow cold smoke (kept at a temperature below 120 °F (49 °C)) that can last for up to four days. ^[4] A one pH unit (or more) decline is observed during this step, as well as the development of nitrosohemochrome, the pigment responsible for the red color of cured meats.

See also

• List of smoked foods
• Barbecue bologna

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lebanon bologna.

• Seltzer's Lebanon Bologna homepage
• Godshall Meats homepage
• Cook's Thesaurus: Cold Cuts