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-
Cream Cheese & Lebanon Bologna on Cucumber
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers peeled
- 1 block of cream cheese 8 oz
- 8 -10 slices of Lebanon bologna cut into thin strips
Instructions
- 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 1/4" 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*
Amy (Savory Moments)
October 28, 2015 at 7:51 pmInteresting! 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.
Amanda
October 29, 2015 at 12:58 pmIt’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!
Neeli @ Neeli's Unique Creations
October 29, 2015 at 11:46 pmI 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.
Amanda
October 31, 2015 at 1:07 amOhhhh….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 🙂
samantha
October 30, 2015 at 4:30 pmWould 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
Amanda
October 31, 2015 at 1:08 amHi Samantha! I’ll email you 🙂
samantha
October 30, 2015 at 4:30 pmWould we be able to share this recipe? We are always on the lookout for new ways to serve lebanon bologna.
My Dish is Bomb
November 1, 2015 at 10:34 pmThis 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!
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen
November 4, 2015 at 6:06 pmOh! These cucumber slices look incredibly adorable. Love they are healthy and yummy too! 🙂
Amanda
November 6, 2015 at 2:25 pmThanks so much Anu 🙂
Kim Fasnacht
June 25, 2016 at 10:12 amAmanda 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.
Amanda
June 27, 2016 at 11:44 pmHi 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 🙂
Herman Zimmerman
December 29, 2016 at 1:56 pmLebanon 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.
Amanda
January 7, 2017 at 11:38 pmRollie-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.