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Sandwich Idyll: the beauty of Lebanon bologna
Jan & Mar�sa Boshoff Merenda Zug in Strasburg, PA
Sandwich Idyll: the beauty of Lebanon bologna
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| Jan & Mar�sa Boshoff |
| Merenda Zug in Strasburg, PA |
Driving through Strasburg on the way to Lancaster one pretty spring day, my sister begged me to stop at a small coffee shop, Merenda Zug. Our grandparents had often treated us to a homemade ice cream at the Strasburg Creamery down the street in our younger days, but I had never been inside this particular storefront.
Once inside, my sister ordered a Lebanon bologna sandwich from the Mennonite girl behind the counter. "Ew," I whispered to her. "I thought you hated bologna."
"This is different," she said firmly. "You're going to like it. A lot." As the counter girl removed mustard, white American cheese and deli-sliced meat from a 1970s avocado-colored refrigerator, I wondered what could transform the slimy, mystery meat of childhood into a sandwich worth stopping for.
The young woman paused from carefully layering wheat bread with cheese and slices of the dark red Lebanon bologna. "Potato chips, ya?" she inquired. "Yes, please," my sister quickly responded.� On went thickly cut potato chips, and the sandwich was topped with another slice of bread and wrapped in wax paper.
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| Kiefer's Meats |
Kiefer's Lancaster-made |
Outside, we divvied up our halves and sat on a bench to eat. The first bite through the layer of familiar American cheese, spicy mustard and sweet, smoky meat all topped with a salty layer of potato chips was a seriously satisfying moment. Oscar Mayer made no unwelcome appearances.
Lebanon bologna is a regional specialty native to the Lebanon Valley of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It is an all-beef, cured, smoked, fermented, semi-dry sausage that is much closer in style to salami than bologna. Slow-curing gives the sausage a strong smoky flavor, while fermentation provides a distinct tang.
If a trip to Strasburg isn't in your immediate future, several vendors in the Reading Terminal Market sell Lebanon bologna, including Hatville Deli in the Pennsylvania Dutch section. Fair Food Farmstand is offering packages of Gap's Green Meadow Farm grass-fed, nitrite-free, all natural beef Lebanon Bologna that has a round, smoky flavor and pleasant sweetness.
Merenda Zug, 11 E. Main St., Strasburg, 17579; 717-687-8027
Hatville Deli, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-925-5065
Fair Food Farmstand, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, 215-627-2029
My husband and I stumbled upon this cute cafe back in the fall. Great sandwiches, pastries, and best of all....they brew LaColombe Coffee!
YEP: It is kind of amazing how far La Colombe's reach is. There is no excuse not to have great coffee anywhere anymore.
lebanon bologna can be found elsewhere, too. I grew up in Williamsport, Pa, being from Lancaster, and moved to Miami, Fl. in '65. Our local grocery store, Publix also carries Lebanon Bologna, MOST of the time. very good. My grown kids like it too.
So strange. I recently rediscovered lebanon bologna, too. hard to track down in these parts, but so worth it.
[...] Another Lebanon bologna convert. [...]
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