# Trail bologna - what is it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158 "2025-09-18T17:24:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/1 "2025-09-18T17:24:52Z")
In my hobby of identifying vintage aerial photos taken of the rural areas in the US I often come across little tidbits of information. Yesterday I finally pinned down a simple brick building in Holmes County, Ohio, an Amish area. It turned out to be Troyer’s Trail Bologna shop. If you search for trail bologna you will find it is slightly different then the usual bologna with a coarser grind. But why is it called “trail” bologna? It sounds like came from something the pioneers carried on the trail. But no. It is made in the tiny community of Trail, Ohio. > **[Vintage Aerial | Ohio | Holmes County | 1978 | 81-PHO-18](https://vintageaerial.com/photos/ohio/holmes/1978/PHO/81/18)** > > Over 18 million aerial photos documenting the history of rural America spanning five decades. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/2 "2025-09-18T17:44:05Z")
I think you just answered your own question. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/3 "2025-09-18T17:44:46Z")
It fits well into the song “My Sherona”. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/4 "2025-09-18T17:55:13Z")
I guessed wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/5 "2025-09-18T18:29:15Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > It is made in the tiny community of Trail, Ohio. Yep, Trail bologna is precisely the coarsely ground meat made in Trail, Ohio. Not sure why this local specialty caught on versus all the others. It’s a remnant of a great diversity of foods made in tiny, isolated hamlets across the U.S. They’ve mostly been assimilated away by easier communication and travel. For cold lunch meat, I prefer the more usual finely ground. But Trail bologna grills up nice to make a hot bologna and cheese sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/6 "2025-09-18T18:51:21Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I think you just answered your own question. It was a rhetorical question. But this begs the question - why is Trail, Ohio named “Trail”? ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/7 "2025-09-18T20:23:23Z")
I misread the title and thought it was a discussion on Trial Bologna. At which point I was going to offer suggestions for Kourt Kielbasa. ---
**Author:** ![PetroDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@PetroDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetroDude)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/8 "2025-09-18T20:24:09Z")
FYI - That building is still operating as Troyer’s Trail Bologna’s Shop in Dundee, OH (formerly Trail, OH). We are not from anywhere near the area but were vacationing through there. As we were driving, we kept seeing signs for this. We had the same WTF is Trail Bologna question. We stopped at Troyer’s. We bought some and asked the people working there why it is called Trail. “Not sure. I think maybe it’s good for hiking.” We didn’t learn the actual answer until we looked it up either. Any locals to that area eat it regularly? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/9 "2025-09-18T20:30:46Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > But this begs the question - why is Trail, Ohio named “Trail”? Google Maps shows Trail, OH (and Troyer’s Trail Bologna) as being adjacent to Indian Trail Creek. So, that’d be a good guess. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/10 "2025-09-18T20:34:36Z")
> [@PetroDude](#): > > “Not sure. I think maybe it’s good for hiking.” That was my guess: cured, shelf stable ground & encased meat. A Slim Jim, landjager, pepperoni, chorizo. I would have also wrongly blurted that Trail Sausage was from Oregon. Oregon Trail sausage. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/11 "2025-09-18T20:36:33Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I would have also wrongly blurted that Trail Sausage was from Oregon. Oregon Trail sausage. Far far better than Donner Pass sausage! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/12 "2025-09-19T01:39:53Z")
> [@PetroDude](#): > > Any locals to that area eat it regularly? Not local anymore, but grew up nearby. We would get Trail bologna occasionally, but tended to go to closer Amish butchers. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/13 "2025-09-19T01:57:16Z")
On first read I expected it was a euphemism for something disgusting, similar to “buffalo chips” or “prison oysters”. Trail bologna, maybe cuts of a found carcass that are fresh enough to be edible, but aged just enough to be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/14 "2025-09-19T02:45:13Z")
> Ewwww. Unpleasant snack experience. 🤢 ---
**Author:** ![Shivs73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Shivs73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shivs73)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2025, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-bologna-what-is-it/1023158/15 "2025-11-28T03:12:18Z")
I’m from Tuscarawas County which borders Holmes County. Deer trail is a huge thing around here. All the deer processors in Holmes make it. Millers Custom Meats in Millersburg is my personal favorite. Eat it cold on a Ritz cracker with Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese. Which is also happens to be another niche thing to Holmes County….tons of local cheese houses.