I was talking to someone a few weeks ago about Lebanon bologna. Years ago, it was something that was only available in Pennsylvania and it’s surrounding states. Nowadays you can find it in just about any deli in any state.
Anyhow, my friend laughed and told me she always thought it originated from Lebanon, the country in the Middle East. Funny – I suppose Lebanon, Pennsylvania is an easy county & town to overlook. I live nearby it and can’t really say a whole lot about it. There’s farms, a notable Amish & Mennonite population, it’s close to Hershey and it’s the birthplace of Lebanon bologna.
Lebanon bologna is almost hard to describe – it really has a flavor all of it’s own. It’s a slow, wood-smoked beef sausage. It has the texture of salami, not the mushy texture of a German bologna. It’s smoky, delicious and a sandwich staple in most PA homes.
I’ll shamelessly admit my favorite way of eating Lebanon bologna. I get it sliced thick, smear an excessive amount of cream cheese on a slice, roll it up & devour it. Not fancy, not pretty, but soooooo good. Believe it or not – this bologna and cream cheese roll is a pretty popular snack & appetizer in these parts.
I could never bring myself to serve this “as-is” as a hors d’oeuvre while entertaining. Delicious, but a bit crude in appearance.
Of course I’ve found a way to fancy it up. Slice up a few cucumbers, add a pat of cream cheese and slice the Lebanon bologna into thin strips. Layer it on and – boom – you now have something delicious and nice enough to serve to company.
I form the cream cheese into a log and wrap in wax paper, much like with a compound butter. Throw it in the fridge to harden up and it will be much easier to cut and set on top of cucumber slices.
Amounts of cream cheese and bologna on each cucumber slice are really just preference. I use about a 1/4″ round of cream cheese & wrap a few strips of bologna on top of the cream cheese. This is great made ahead of time and pulled out of the fridge a few minutes before serving.
I hope you enjoy this “dressed up” Pennsylvania treat. If you haven’t already discovered the tasty combination of Lebanon bologna & cream cheese, now is the time to try it 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Amanda-
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled
- 1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)
- 8 -10 slices of Lebanon bologna, cut into thin strips
- Slice cucumbers.
- I prefer to shape the cream cheese ahead of time. I roll it into a log and wrap in wax paper (much like a compound butter) Let it set in the fridge to harden up before slicing.
- Top cucumbers with a ¼" thick round/slice of cream cheese.
- Place 3-4 strips of Lebanon bologna on top of cream cheese. I wrap it in a circle, feel free to get creative.
- Store in fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy 🙂
- *This is great made ahead of time and pulled out of the fridge a few minutes before serving*
Interesting! I’ve never heard of Lebanon bologna, but it looks really good. I have a couple old Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks and a lot of my family came from PA before moving to NY.
It’s wild you’ve never heard of it! Lebanon bologna was one of the PA foods people used to really miss when they moved out of the area. These days you can usually find it around. A few of my NY friends grab Lebanon bologna at Wegman’s – not sure if they carry it in every store, though. I love old PA Dutch cookbooks, I have a few too many lol!
I wonder if any stores in Michigan carry this kind of bologna. I may just have to find out. I’ve never heard of it either, but the picture with the bologna and cream cheese makes me wish I had some right now.
Ohhhh….it’s so good – you have to try it! I know in some areas you might not be able to get it sliced “fresh” at the deli – it’s sold packaged with hot dogs & other lunch meats. I’m interested to see if you can find it 🙂
Would we be able to share this recipe? We are always on the lookout for new ways to serve lebanon bologna at http://www.seltzerslebanon.com
Hi Samantha! I’ll email you 🙂
Would we be able to share this recipe? We are always on the lookout for new ways to serve lebanon bologna.
This looks like such an awesome snack! I’ve never heard of Lebanon bologna but I love all types of salami so I bet I’d love this!
Oh! These cucumber slices look incredibly adorable. Love they are healthy and yummy too! 🙂
Thanks so much Anu 🙂
Amanda I stumbled onto your page while searching “PA Dutch Red Beet Eggs”. I am originally from the Denver/Ephrata area and miss that flavor.
I am now ADDICTED to your page!
I will check back often.
Hi Kim! Yay – so glad you found & like my blog!
Lancaster County food is funny like that. Hohum when you’re here but dearly missed when it’s gone. I was just saying if I ever moved from the area I would go nuts without Dieffenbach’s Kettle Cooked Chips. So goooood 🙂
Lebanon Bologna cream cheese is indeed a popular hors d’oeuvre in the Pennsylvania German country. I grew up calling this snack a rollie – tollie . The inclusion of cucumber adds a nice fresh, lighter touch.Old timers in the area pronounced baloney as baloonie.
Rollie-tollie…I love it! Glad you like the cucumber – it’s a lighter touch, gives it a nice crisp and definitely “fancies” it up. Not sure whereabouts in the area your from – I’m in Eastern Lancaster County. A lot of folks in the area still pronounce it as “ba-log-nah”. So many pronunciations 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Herman.