If You've Got Bologna And Pickles, You Can Make This German Meat Salad

If you just opened your fridge to find a big slab of leftover bologna staring back at you, you might be wondering what to do with it. One can only have so many bologna sandwiches or bologna casseroles before it starts to get pretty old. While bologna may be the ingredient your breakfast has been missing, adding it to scrambled eggs doesn't require that much of it, leaving you with more to use up. To combat this, Germans have an idea you might want to try, especially since it also uses that jar of pickles you've been neglecting. This wondrous dish is a meat salad called fleischsalat.

Hold on. Before you freak out about the idea of a bologna meat salad, consider that Germans have been enjoying this food for decades. It consists of mayonnaise, pickles, some spices, and, of course, bologna, all mixed together in strips and often served over bread or potatoes. Maybe you're not quite feeling it, but you should still give it a shot. It's easy to make, salty and sweet, and makes an excellent addition to lunches or dinners. Also, come on — you gotta use up that bologna somehow.

This meaty offering, translated basically as "meat salad," is a variation of wurstsalat (which uses cut-up sausage and sometimes omits the mayonnaise). It's a favorite of both the young and old. While you might hesitate to classify this as an actual salad, many German salads involve meat and savory sauces, so there is a precedent for it being called as such.

German bologna, or fleischwurst, is a little different than the packaged bologna you might buy from Oscar Mayer. It tends to be more heavily spiced with garlic, and usually comes in thicker slices than you'd find in an American deli. Oftentimes, butchers and delicatessens need a way to use up their leftover bologna, and this usually means their fleischwurst becomes fleischsalat for the following day. That's why this recipe is so ideal if you're trying to use up your refrigerated leftovers.

While an open jar of pickles lasts pretty long in the fridge and is probably your go-to ingredient, it's also not quite the same as the pickles used by Germans in fleischsalat. Unlike your classic dill, German pickles tend to be sweet and savory, a flavor combo that complements the fatty richness of bologna. It gives fleischsalat a lightly sugary tang that makes it a refreshing and filling salad for any time of day.

So, you're feeling daring and want to give it a try. Good, because this is easy. All you really need is some bologna, pickles, mayonnaise, pickle juice, sugar, and pepper. You should substitute vinegar for some pickle juice if you don't really want a briny flavor. Some recipes call for onions and additional herbs, so don't be afraid to experiment. German regulations dictate that the salad has to be 25% meat and 25% pickle, so as long as you abide by that, you're all set. Slice the ingredients into strips, mix them together, and let them chill for at least half an hour until the flavors have a chance to blend. You can also chop the ingredients for a finer texture, and you can make this dish a day in advance.

If you're still craving bologna sandwiches, you're in luck, because this is a traditional way to turn bologna into a creamy sandwich spread. Germans often have fleischsalat on bread, so you're still being somewhat authentic if you opt to plop it between two slices. For those who really want authenticity, however, you have to go the extra mile and use German versions of the ingredients, all of which have a slightly different flavor profile. If you're just working with leftovers, this is at least still a surefire way to clear up some fridge space.