[1] A bologna sandwich, long a cold-cut standard. American bologna evolved from Italian mortadella. See the *footnote below (photo © Francesdo Di Bartolo | iStock).

[2] Precooked, smoked, or cured sausages are considered cold cuts. Here’s how to put together a Vesperplatte, a German charcuterie board. This one contains Landjäger (left); Dauerwurst, a type of salami (right); truffled pâté (left) and Griebenschmalz, rendered pork fat mixed with cracklings (center) (photo © Dirndl Kitchen).

[3] Building a sandwich. Cold cuts are an American favorite—but not a nutritionist’s (Pixabay Photo CC0).

[4] Possibly America’s favorite use of cold cuts: the hero (a.k.a. grinder, submarine, torpedo sandwich (photo ).

[5] A tasting of prosciutto crudo (dry-cured ham, prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), and mortadella (pork sausage containing cubes of pork fat).

March 3rd is National Cold Cuts Day, an American holiday.

Why American? The word is an Americanism dating back to 1940-45 according to the Random House Dictionary.

The term refers specifically to precooked or cured meat, often in loaf or sausage form, that are sliced and served cold on sandwiches or on party trays.

They are cooked, cured, smoked, or otherwise preserved meats that are served cold or at room temperature, typically thin-sliced for sandwiches and platters.

These include salami, bologna, ham, liverwurst, Italian salume, mortadella, turkey roll, roast beef, salami, and other cured and processed meats.

Cold cuts are also known as deli meats, lunch meats, luncheon meats, sandwich meats and in the U.K., as cold meats, cooked meats and sliced meats.

Below:

> The history of cold cuts.

> Cold cuts by country.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The year’s 28+ sandwich holidays.

> The year’s 24 pork holidays.

> Pork cuts: a photo glossary of pork cuts and terms.

> Types of charcuterie: a photo glossary of classic charcuterie.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF COLD CUTS

Ancient times. For most of human history, millennia before the concept of “cold cuts” emerged, preserving meat before refrigeration was essential. While roasts could be eaten over several days, longer-term options were needed. Cultures developed:

 
Cured hams and sausages, smoked meats, and dried meats like jerky were the result.

Now, fast-forward to…

Medieval to early modern Europe: From the Middle Ages onward, France developed the technique of charcuterie, a specialized craft of preparing pork products made by specialized pork butchers called charcutiers.

The result: cooked, cured, or smoked meat products from bacon and hams to pâtés, sausages, and terrines. Many of which were meant to be eaten cold, a convenience food. See the different cold cuts by country, below.

Cold cuts have long been a workman’s lunch: A man went off for the day with sliced bread, sliced meat and cheese. But it didn’t stay a working-class food.

18th–19th centuries: With urbanization came the rise of delicatessens, to provide ready-to-eat food for city dwellers. The modern concept of “cold cuts”—sliced meats sold to order—grew with city life. Delicatessens also sold prepared foods, including cured/smoked meats, cheeses, and breads.

19th-20th centuries: In the U.S., waves of European immigrants helped to popularize deli-style meats, particularly German sausages (wurst) and ham, Italian salami and mortadella, and Jewish/Eastern European pastrami and corned beef. German bologna became a mainstream sandwich filling.

Late 19th century: In the U.K., tea rooms began to serve cold cut tea sandwiches in addition to butter and cucumber of watercress, cream cheese, egg salad and ham salad [source].

Late 19th–20th centuries: In the U.S. and elsewhere, mechanical refrigeration and mass production made cold cuts a mainstream staple: Refrigeration enabled safer storage and wider distribution.

Industrial meat processing scaled the production of the category called “luncheon meats.” Uniform loaves like bologna and later, prepackaged sliced meats, made cold cuts affordable and convenient.

Mid–20th century: By mid-20th century, cold-cut sandwiches had become a standard lunch food. Cold were ubiquitous in groceries, in vacuum packs everywhere and sliced to order (as in the old days) at supermarket meat and deli counters.

The down side is that highly processed sliced meats (reformed, emulsified, or injected products designed for consistent texture and shelf life) turned out to be unhealthy—not just from high sodium levels, but links to cancer and heart disease. Most cold cuts are higher in fat, nitrates, sodium, and preservatives. In fact, the prepackaged/presliced kind can have even more sodium and preservatives, as the larger exposed surface of the slice requires stronger preservatives.

21st century: To produce better-for-you products, the modern artisan salume movement began to take shape in the U.S. in the late 1990s and accelerated rapidly throughout the 2000s, with a significant renaissance occurring in the last 10 to 15 years.

Depending on one’s palate and pocketbook, both mass-produced and artisan meats are enjoyed by many Americans, in a sandwich or on a party platter. They’re easy lunch and party fare.

Alas, even with the artisan foods, cold cuts are not a nutritionist’s dream. Cold cuts and cured meats have too much, i.e. unhealthy, sodium [sodium].

Cold cuts are essentially the American, everyday term for the meats that form the foundation of charcuterie, although modern American charcuterie boards often replace artisanal cured meats with deli-style cold cuts. But let’s return to the foundation of the original “cold cuts,” made long before America existed.

 
Other regions had (and have) less extensive, but equally tasty, offerings. Some examples:

 
Home-cooked “cold cuts”: At home, it was common to roast a large cut of meat, then slice and eat the leftovers cold for later meals. This practice is an ancestor of the “cold cuts” concept.
 
 

[6] Cold cuts platter, waiting for the wine and beer (photo © DeLallo).

_____________________________

*What Americans call bologna traces back to Italian mortadella, made since at least the 14th century in Bologna, Italy. Italian immigrants brought mortadella to America, where it was eventually simplified and mass-produced in the late 19th century. The differences between traditional Italian mortadella and American supermarket bologna are significant in terms of texture, ingredients, and flavor:

Visible Fat and Additions: Mortadella contains large, visible cubes of high-quality pork neck fat (called lardons) and often whole green pistachios or black peppercorns. Bologna is a completely smooth, uniform “emulsified” meat. All fat and meat are ground together into a fine paste (batter) so that no individual chunks are visible.

Meat Composition: In Italy, Mortadella Bologna PGI (Protected Geographical Indication, a legal EU designation) must be made of 100% pork by law (there is also generic mortadella in Italy, without the PGI). It uses finely ground lean pork mixed with the cubes of fat. Bologna has no standards. It can be a blend of pork, beef, chicken, or turkey.

Spicing and Flavor: Mortadella has a complex yet delicate, aromatic floral and spice profile that usually includes myrtle berries, nutmeg, coriander, and cloves. Bologna is typically seasoned with salt, pepper, celery seed, and often coriander and garlic. The flavor is simpler and more “savory-sweet.” Bologna can have a distinct tang or smokiness that is not present in mortadella.

Production Method: The meat for mortadella is ground into a very fine paste using large industrial mortars (hence the name) and then slow-cooked in large ovens for hours, sometimes days, to reach a specific internal temperature. Bologna, while also cooked, it is often produced much faster and frequently includes liquid smoke (or is smoked during the cooking process) to give it a characteristic “American deli” flavor.

Why isn’t American bologna called mortadella? By the early 20th century, the bologna mass-produced in America was no longer the same product as Italian mortadella, which was made by smaller American-based producers of Italian foods, as well as imported. At some point, some producer sought a different name to differentiate the American product, and the hometown of mortadella—Bologna, Italy—provided an answer. Ironically, the mortadella from Bologna, Italy is a protected, premium regional product with PGI status, while American bologna named after that town is an inexpensive sandwich meat.

Over time, bologna (pronounced buh-LOW-nya) became pronounced “baloney.” For word nerds: When a foreign word is brought into English and the original spelling is kept, the pronunciation often changes to fit English mouth-movements or phonetics. This is how buh-low-nya became buh-low-nee. Another example is colonel, pronounced “kernel” due to historical influence from the Spanish “coronel.” When the spelling doesn’t clearly match the sound, linguists refer to it as orthographic opacity.
 

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National Beignet Day, September 17th, was declared in 2024 by the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group.
 
 
WHAT’S MARDI GRAS?

The Carnival season begins on or after the Epiphany or King’s Day (January 6th) and culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday refers to the practice of eating richer, fatty foods the last night before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras is sometimes referred to as Shrove Tuesday, from the word shrive, meaning “confess.” But the idea of rich foods is far more appealing.

Why “Carnival?”

Centuries ago, Catholics in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. It stuck, engendering huge Carnival events elsewhere, including New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro.

[1] Beignets should be enjoyed warm, with a cup of strong coffee (photo © Orsay Restaurant | New York City.

A beignet (pronounced bayn-YAY, the french word for bump) is deep-fried choux pastry dough.

It’s a fritter similar to the German Spritzkuchen, the Italian zeppole and the Spanish churro. It can take on different shapes and flavorings depending on local preferences.

 
Beignets were brought to Louisiana by the Acadians, immigrants from Canada*, whose fritters were sometimes filled with fruit. Today’s beignets are a square or round piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. The fruit (in the form of jam) is now served, optionally, on the side.

The beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans are worth going out of your way for (they taste best at the main location). After buying their mix and making them at home, we were unable to match the glory of the original, although we admit, we did not use cottonseed oil as they do.

In New Orleans, the beignet is also known as the French Market doughnut, and it is the Louisiana State doughnut. (How many states have an official state doughnut?)

At Café du Monde, beignets are served in orders of three. The cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for Christmas Day.
 
 
HOW TO EAT A BEIGNET

In New Orleans, beignets are served with the local favorite, chicory-laced coffee.

You can enjoy them plain, with fruit curd or jam or with chocolate sauce.
 
_________________

*The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia. That colony was located in what is now Eastern Canada’s Maritime provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island—as well as part of Quebec and present-day Maine to the Kennebec River. Acadia was a distinctly separate colony of New France (which became Canada); the Acadians and Québécois developed two distinct histories and cultures. (Source: Wikipedia)

The recipe below is from Nielsen-Massey, manufacturer of some of the finest extracts in the world, including the vanilla extract used in the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE #1: VANILLA BEIGNET BITES

Ingredients For 6 Dozen Beignets

1. COMBINE warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar n a small bowl; set aside to activate yeast. In a medium bowl, add butter, half-and-half and vanilla extract; stir and set aside. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl; set aside.

2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom in the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer. Place the bowl on a mixer stand fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low speed and combine the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to medium speed, then add the activated yeast mixture. Add the half-and-half mixture, then add the whisked eggs. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. The dough will be slightly sticky.

3. PLACE the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead, about 2-3 minutes; add additional flour if needed. Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and keep warm until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours. After the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured surface and gently knead. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into small rectangles, about 1 x ½-inch pieces.

4. HEAT the oil to 375°F. Carefully place dough in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 45-60 seconds. Turn the beignets so that both sides are golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with Vanilla Powdered Sugar (recipe below) while bites are still warm. Serve with plain, with chocolate sauce, lemon curd or raspberry jam.
 
 
RECIPE 2: VANILLA POWDERED SUGAR

Ingredients For 1/2 Cup

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a small bowl.
 
 

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This recipe is from Chef David Venable of QVC, who calls it “an easy-to-tackle version, filled with great Louisiana flavor and spice.” Gumbos have a lot of ingredients, but the cooking technique isn’t demanding.

Says David, “When preparing, be sure to chop your veggies in similar sizes to ensure that they cook at the same rate.” In this recipe, okra is used as a thickener, and also gives personality to the gumbo.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO WITH OKRA

Ingredients

 
Plus

[1] An easy gumbo, with chicken, okra and sausage (photo © QVC).

[2] You can also enjoy andouille sausage in a hot dog roll or hero sandwich (photo © Zatarain’s).

1. SEASON the chicken thighs with creole seasoning. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a 6-quart or larger stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage and set it aside.

2. ADD the chicken to the pot with the sausage drippings and cook over medium-high heat until brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and set it aside.

3. ADD the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and the flour, over medium heat. Cook the mixture, stirring slowly and constantly, for 10-15 minutes, or until dark brown. Be careful not to burn or scorch.

4. ADD the onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Slowly add the broth and stir until there are no lumps. Add the tomatoes, rice, salt, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, and okra. Stir and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

5. ADD the chicken and cooked sausage to the gumbo. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, plate, garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and serve with a side of rice.
 
 

Grab store-bought cupcakes or cake and a bag of baking chips, regular or mini.

They’re available in a rainbow of flavors/colors: butterscotch, cappuccino, caramel, cherry, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mint, peanut butter, peppermint (white chips with bits of candy cane) and vanilla (white chocolate). We found them all on Amazon.

Nestle’s makes a Winter Blend of dark chocolate and mint chips that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

In the photo, peanut butter mini chips garnish a Crumbs chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter frosting, topped with peanut butter and chocolate frosting.

Peanut butter-chocolate cupcake with a rim of peanut butter chips. Photo courtesy Crumbs.

 
MORE TO DO WITH BAKING CHIPS (CHOCOLATE CHIPS OR ANY FLAVOR)

March 2nd is National Banana Creme Pie Day. But is it banana creme or banana cream?

Crème, pronounced crehm, is the French word for cream. As recipes evolved in the U.S., the trend was to emulate French spellings to give the recipe a cachet. Doesn’t soupe du jour (typically misspelled as soup du jour) sound better than today’s soup?

Thus, in the name of cachet (or perhaps they weren’t good spellers), some of America’s bakers and restaurants began to offer creme pies. The proper use, however is cream pie.

To compound the error, crème got pronounced as creem—that’s right, the same as cream. So why the incorrect and pretentious spelling?

It would be nice to go back and correct the mistakes of the past, but that just won’t happen. So feel free to use the words interchangeably.

And bake this delicious double banana cream pie recipe (photo #1). The “double” comes from an American invention: Instead of just banana creme/cream in the pie crust, there is a layer of fresh-sliced bananas. It’s the way to go!

Want a chocolate crust? That’s a black bottom banana cream pie.

> The history of banana cream pie follows.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Cream vs. creme: Which is correct?

> The year’s 10 banana holidays.

> The year’s 31 pie holidays.

> The history of bananas.

> The history of pie.

> The different types of pie: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BANANA CREAM PIE

How long have we had banana cream pie?

Pie is an ancient dish, although not the sweet pies and meat pies we know today. For much of pie history, the dough was inedible, used as a casing for meat pies to keep the juices in, before the widespread availability of pie pans.

Cream, custard and pudding pies date back to medieval times.

But while bananas were first domesticated in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea, by at least 5000 B.C.E. and possibly as far back as 8000 B.C.E., they weren’t readily available in the U.S. until the 1880s, due to improved transportation and aggressive marketing.

Busy bakers then refitted the traditional custard pie with a banana cream filling, and banana cream pie found its way into the recipe books. Late 19th and early 20th century cookbooks are full of banana recipes.

The oldest published American recipes for “banana pie” date to the late 19th century. They fill the pie crust with sliced bananas, not a banana cream/custard like today’s pies.

[1] Double banana cream pie: banana pudding over a layer of ripe bananas. Here’s a recipe (photo © McCormick).

[2] Topped with whipped cream and a few extra slices of banana (photo © Taste Of Home).

[3] National Banana Day is April 417th (photo © Eiliv Sonas Aceron | Unsplash).

In 1906, The Blue Ribbon Cook Book provided a banana and custard filling, but the two were not blended together into today’s familiar, creamy banana filling. Instead, sliced bananas lined the bottom of the crust, and the custard was poured over it.

By 1950 we get a version covered with whipped cream and toasted coconut. But the blended filling of creamy banana pudding? Our friends at FoodTimeline.org, which provided this history, don’t have it. Our mom, who was baking at the time, says “late 1950s, early 1960s.”

In 1971, restaurateurs in England invented the banoffee iie, a combination of banana cream and thick caramel (toffee) sauce. Some versions of the recipe include chocolate, coffee, or both [source].

Many bakers have created their own versions of banana cream pie, from adding a layer of peanut butter or Nutella on the bottom crust, to toppimg the pie with lots of whipped cream and coconut, à la coconut cream pie.

Some make a meringue topping, others drizzle salted caramel, shaved chocolate, whatever.

For a tropical touch, top the whipped cream with a small dice of guava, mango, papaya, and pineapple—banana’s tropical mates.

Emeril tops his banana cream pie with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and chocolate ribbons (the recipe).

For a quickie, make a “deconstructed” banana cream pie: banana pudding topped with shortbread crumbs.

The original pie, with sliced bananas on the bottom, survives today as “Double Banana Cream Pie: sliced bananas topped with banana cream pudding. Here’s a recipe.
 

[4] How about a chocolate banana cream pie? Here’s the recipe. For a quick touch of chocolate, use a chocolate cookie crust on a regular banana cream pie (photo © Love & Olive Oil).

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