National Bologna Day is Tuesday, October 24th
Eric Mittenthal, President of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
(Washington, DC, Thursday, October 19, 2017) – Does your bologna have a first name? As you’re packing your or your child’s lunch on Tuesday, October 24, you may want to include some bologna. National Bologna Day celebrates the favorite American meat we’ve enjoyed since we were kids.
Contrary to the saying “the two things you never want to see being made are laws and sausages,” the process of making bologna is quite simple. Much like hot dogs, bologna is commonly made of beef, pork, turkey or chicken that is finely ground and stuffed into a casing for cooking which is often later removed.
Eric Mittenthal, President of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, has more about how to enjoy this favorite American meat on National Bologna Day.
SOUNDBITE #1:
OVER THE PAST YEAR, AMERICANS HAVE PURCHASED MORE THAN TWO-HUNDRED-THIRTY-SIX MILLION POUNDS OF BOLOGNA AT RETAIL STORES. THAT’S FIVE-HUNDRED-THIRTY MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF BOLOGNA. BOLOGNA FIRST ORIGINATED IN BOLOGNA, ITALY AND IS CLOSELY RELATED TO MORTADELLA – HOWEVER, ITS AMERICAN ORIGINS ARE PRIMARILY ASSOCIATED WITH GERMAN IMMIGRANTS.
SOUNDBITE #2:
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF BOLOGNA HAVE DEVELOPED IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY. BOLOGNA REMAINS A POPULAR TREAT IN THE MIDWEST AND IS SERVED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. FOR MANY IN APPALACHIA, BOLOGNA IS A BREAKFAST MEAT OF CHOICE. IN BALTIMORE, HOT DOGS SERVED IN CLASSIC DELIS FEATURE A BOLOGNA WRAPPED DOG. IN MEMPHIS AND OKLAHOMA, IT REMAINS A BAR-B-QUE STAPLE. AND BOTH LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA AND YALE, MICHIGAN HOST BOLOGNA FESTIVALS EACH YEAR. BUT IT’S LOS ANGELES THAT CONSUMES THE MOST.
For more information and ideas, please visit www.hot-dog.org.
About The Beef Checkoff:
The Beef Checkoff Program (www.MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. In states with qualified beef councils, states may retain up to 50 cents of the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
About the National Hotdog and Sausage Council:
The NHDSC is a project of the North American Meat Institute, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. Established in 1994, the Council serves as an information resource to consumers and media on questions related to quality, safety, nutrition and preparation of hot dogs and sausages. The Council also celebrates hot dogs and sausages as iconic American foods. It is funded by contributions from hot dog and sausage manufacturers and those who supply them with equipment, ingredients and services.