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National Bologna Day

Food · October 24

A day for bologna, the smooth, mild sausage sliced thin for sandwiches, fried until it curls, and tucked into countless lunchboxes.

National Bologna Day falls on Sunday, October 24, 2027. That is 362 days away.

Bologna is a cooked, smoked sausage made from finely ground meat, seasoned and blended until it is completely smooth. It takes its name from Bologna, the Italian city known for mortadella, its larger and more richly seasoned cousin. The American version is milder, pinker and usually sold in thin round slices.

The flavor is gentle and a little sweet, with hints of spice that are easy to miss. That mildness is the point. Bologna works with soft white bread, yellow mustard and a slice of cheese, and it rarely complains about the company it keeps.

Frying changes it. A slice laid in a hot pan puffs up in the middle and curls into a little dome, which is why some cooks cut a slit in the edge first so it stays flat. The edges brown and turn crisp, and the slice goes from cold deli meat to something closer to a hot breakfast. Fried bologna sandwiches are a regional favorite in parts of the South and Appalachia, often with an egg on top.

Thick-cut bologna is its own thing too. Butchers and delis may sell it by the chunk, ready to be sliced as thick as a steak and grilled.

Ways to celebrate

• Fry a slice of bologna and cut a small slit so it lies flat.
• Make a classic sandwich with white bread, mustard and cheese.
• Ask a local deli to slice bologna thick for grilling.
• Try mortadella alongside American bologna and compare the two.
• Share a favorite childhood bologna sandwich combination with family.

Dates

All national days on October 24

Also on October 24

• National Jamaican Jerk Day
• National Kangaroo Awareness Day
• National Mother-in-Law Day

Categories: Food days