History Of Bologna, America’s Best-Loved Lunch Meat

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In today's haute cuisine and foodie culture, it can be easy to dismiss the humble bologna sandwich as a product of a bygone era, but the history of bologna is the history of the United States. It's a tale of immigration, an ever-changing economy, and of course, a wienermobile.

A European Delicacy

Today, we think of bologna as a poor man's meal, but in its original home of Bologna, Italy, it was a seasoned delicacy on par with fine prosciutto. Of course, the Italian version of bologna is unrecognizable to most Americans, made with lean pork from an old recipe that dates back to the mid-1600s. The Italians who brought bologna to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries started from the bottom, however, so because it was eaten largely by impoverished immigrants, Americans associated it with the lower classes.