The city of Bologna in northern Italy is famous for many things, but perhaps mortadella is its most well-known hallmark. It, or a similar version of it, has been made in Italy since the first century and the Romans called it “farcimen myrtatum,” or ground meat in a mortar. Italians from that fair city brought the recipe with them when they immigrated to the United States, and their American friends began to call it “that sausage from Bologna.” That name, over time morphed into modern day bologna, still a popular, although, at least to some, pedestrian, sandwich meat.
In 1960, my father, an army officer, was given a year’s assignment in Vietnam as an advisor, and my mother decided to return to her hometown of Houston, Mississippi. It was a bit of a culture shock for me, a nine-year-old kid, who had never lived in the South before and who had just returned from a tour in Heidelberg, Germany, the headquarters of the US Army Europe.
There were many new things to encounter, but the one I remember the best is the day we went to lunch in the school cafeteria and the meat selection for the day was fried bologna. Of course, none of the country kids I went to school with found it odd at all, it was an inexpensive meat they had often, and frying it was common.
Then, I did not quite know what to think of it, but I tried it and it was good. A couple of Sundays ago, I decided to out for brunch and wound up at Ground zero, in Biloxi. I was surprised and delighted to see a fried bologna club sandwich on the menu and found it delicious, along with some homemade chips.
I do not recommend frying commercial, pre-sliced bologna, it’s just too thin, and not always of the best quality. Instead, go to deli counter and order thick sliced mortadella (make sure it has pieces of pistachio nuts in it). Fry it in butter (remember, butter to brown, oil to cook) until it is a crispy brown, put it toasted multi grain bread, with lots of good mayo and thick sliced tomato (salt and pepper if you like), and you are in for a delightful lunch.
But a sandwich is not the only application for fried bologna, add a little red pepper flakes if you want to spice it up a bit. Roll them up and stuff them with pimento and cheese for an interesting appetizer, or dice very thick cut bologna, fry and add to a nice green salad. If you really want to push the limits, take thick diced bologna, and toss it with your favorite pasta. Is that taking it too far? I don’t think so, give it a try and see for yourself.
