5 Discontinued Oscar Mayer Deli Meats Fans Miss From The 1970s

Oscar Mayer made a huge name for itself in the '60s, with many thanks to the b-o-l-o-g-n-a jingle. By the '70s, the brand offered an array of luncheon loaf options, some with easy to guess tastes like chopped ham and garlic beef bologna, but others weren't as easy to decipher, like "salami for beer" or the "luxury loaf." In the '70s, the majority of Oscar Mayer's deli meats were labeled as "loaves," as they were generally a processed blend of meats formed into the perfect bread-shaped loaf for sandwiches.

There are dozens of brands of packaged deli meats, some with lower quality ingredients than others, but Oscar Mayer has been synonymous with cold cuts since the late 1800s. The one and only Oscar F. Mayer only made $59 on his first day of opening up his butcher shop in 1883, and now the Kraft-owned company is worth billions. These days, Oscar Mayer is even producing plant-based hot dogs, but back in the disco era, the brand was all about obscurely seasoned meats. It's hard to find much info on Oscar Mayer's nostalgic past, but old-school fans have a lot to reminisce about, especially these five deli meats.

We pour BBQ sauce right on our smoky meat platters, so why not infuse the meat with the flavor itself? Oscar Mayer once delivered a smoky, bold-flavored deli meat that didn't require a smoker. Some of Oscar Mayer's luncheon loaves had visible ingredients like bits of cheese, while others, like the beloved Bar-B-Q Loaf, had hidden flavors. The barbecue-flavored deli meat looked like any other processed ham, with thin swirls of fat that made each bite mouthwatering, but the flavors were far from basic.

A good barbecue sauce is both sweet and tangy, which is arguably the hardest flavor to master in a deli meat, but Oscar Mayer took on the challenge. It was slightly sweet thanks to the signature flavors of brown sugar and honey, but cut with notes of smoked paprika and garlic. Judging by the reminiscing on social media, Oscar Mayer's Bar-B-Q loaf was a fan favorite, but sadly, it looks like it quietly disappeared well before the 2000s.

The 1970s was the era of jellied everything. Folks were even jello-fying savory dinners up until the late '70s or so, trapping their food in gelatin with aspic. With America all in on jellied meats, Oscar Mayer was smart to introduce a jellied corned beef loaf. Corned beef feels like a forgotten deli meat these days, at least in the packaged cold cuts section of the market. Often slapped on some rye bread with mustard and sauerkraut, corned beef makes hearty and delicious sandwiches.

Corned beef, originally a product of brining and slow cooking, was turned into a cold-set gelatinous loaf, usually sliced thin and served cold. Oscar Mayer's goal with the jellied form of the loaf was to preserve the fatty flavors of slow-cooked corned beef into one slice of processed deli meat. The jellied form trapped moisture and added a glossy finish, which likely attracted an older crowd in the '70s who were nostalgic for the comfort foods of their childhood.

Despite its name, head cheese is far from being a dairy product. Instead, this strangely-named item is another jelly-like meat loaf made with just about everything. Head cheese can include pork head pieces such as the tongue, snout, cheek, ears, you name it. Originally a European delicacy, the unique recipe made its way to American delis during the height of luncheon loaves, leading Oscar Mayer to package its own. 

With large chunks of meat joined together by savory jelly, this packaged deli meat was one of the more visually alarming options, especially for those who weren't familiar with head cheese, but the flavors weren't as startling. Oscar Mayer sold a simplified, lunch-friendly version that toned down the stronger flavor notes and offered a more uniform texture. Head cheese can still be found on modern-day menus, but often in an elevated form that Oscar Mayer's 1970s team would hardly recognize.

Olive loaf is often compared to mortadella, given its similar buttery texture, but rather than slivers of pistachio, this loaf is riddled with olives. Unlike the other abandoned deli meats, Oscar Mayer's olive loaf had ingredients you could see. Made with chicken and pork like the brand's other lunch meats, the luncheon loaf was peppered with slices of vibrant pimento-stuffed olives. The texture was closer to Oscar Mayer's signature bologna, smooth and fatty, but with that extra salty zhuzh and added texture.

Some casual internet sleuthing will turn up a few listings for Oscar Mayer olive loaf, but according to the brand's product page, the Americana lunch meat is long gone. The brand may not be processing tasty olive loaf anymore, but that doesn't mean others have been as willing to let it go. It remains a nostalgic favorite for some and an unintentional punchline for others.

The pickle and pimento loaf was a fun upgrade from the more accepted olive loaf. The fatty deli meat, made from a blend of chicken and pork, also had bright red pimentos dotted throughout, but with the sour addition of diced pickles. Oscar Mayer's pickle and pimento loaf made tossing a sandwich together easier than ever before, with half the layered toppings already embedded into the cold cuts.

Its lineage can be traced to sandwich spreads and meat salads popular in the 1920s through the '40s, which often mixed chopped meats with pantry favorites like pickles and peppers. Oscar Mayer transformed these flavors into a compact, sliceable form that could be assembled into a quick meal with just two pieces of bread. Some brands still put together a mean pickle and pimento loaf, like Field and Dietz and Watson, but Oscar Mayer has said its goodbyes to the tangy luncheon loaf.