National Bologna Day: October 24 celebrates the food millions of children eat for lunch

(CNN) -- Our food holiday has a first name... October 24 is National Bologna Day!

Any way you slice it, the sausage similar to the mortadella from - you guessed it - Bologna, Italy, is a childhood staple.

Bologna has been around since about the 1400s. Typically, it's made of finely ground beef, pork or both, with pieces of fat seen throughout the sausage. These days it can be kosher and halal, and chicken, lamb and turkey are popular substitutes or additions.

Children across the globe grew up eating bologna sandwiches: In North America, cheese is usually added to a slice of the sausage and sandwiched between two pieces of white bread. In Commonwealth countries, the sandwich looks the same, but instead of bologna, it's called polony.

These days, the bologna sandwich has gotten a bit of a facelift. Chefs across the country have added this childhood comfort food to their menus, especially their late night and bar menus.