Entire Town Gives Pepperoni Roll a Vegan Makeover

Every bakery in Marion County, WV has pledged to veganize their traditional pepperoni roll by May 2018. The pepperoni roll—a white bread-based roll stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese—has been an iconic West Virginia snack since the 1920s and was originally made as a portable lunch eaten by the state’s miners. “Basically, it’s a nutritionist’s nightmare,” a county Health Department board member told local media outlet the Montgomery-Herald. County bakeries have bound together to adopt a recipe that removes animal products from the pepperoni roll, replacing them instead with vegan soy-based meat and plant-based cheese. “Grandma wasn’t always right,” a county health official said, adding, “In fact, while she was feeding you those warm pepperoni rolls, she was also feeding you heart disease and nitrates.” While the vegan roll still contains processed ingredients, the county believes omitting animal products will be a more nutritious option for the community and visiting tourists.