Trail Bologna

The year 1912 marked a moment in American food frontiers. Lunch was evolving. Sandwiches had yet to become a “buzzy new fad.” Bologna had a newfangled air about it. That same year, Michael Troyer wood-smoked an all-beef ring bologna in the tiny town of Trail, nestled in Amish Ohio. This village remains the home of Troyer’s 100 percent bovine bologna. Four generations in, the family now makes tons of the specially-seasoned treat each day.

More than a century after the inception of Troyer’s Genuine Trail Bologna, the defining feature of American bologna—with all of its inexpensive, processed, common lunchmeat associations—is that it’s overwhelmingly made from pork. But Troyer’s remains an all-beef manufacturer. Since fans often pair the chunky, smoky sausage with slices of cheese, the company took it upon themselves to remove the extra step and started mixing cheese right into the meat for a cheddar and hot pepper cheese variety.