Bacon is a type ofsalt-curedpork[1] made from variouscuts, typically thebelly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly inbreakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., theBLT sandwich), or as a flavouring or accent.
Bacon is also used forbarding andlarding roasts, especially game, includingvenison andpheasant, and may also be used to insulate or flavour roast joints by being layered onto the meat. The word is derived from theProto-Germanic*bakkon, meaning'back meat'.[2]
Uncooked cured and smoked side bacon
After being pan-fried
Meat from other animals, such asbeef,lamb,chicken,goat, orturkey, may also be cut, cured, or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon, and may even be referred to as, for example, "turkey bacon".[3] Such use is common in areas with significantJewish andMuslim populations as both religions prohibit the consumption of pork.[4]Vegetarian bacons such as "soy bacon" also exist.
Curing and smoking
Uncured pork belly
Before the advent of cheap and widespread artificial refrigeration in the modern era, thecuring of meat was necessary for its safe long-term preservation. However, both the flavour imparted to the meat in doing so and the extendedshelf life it offered had become much prized, and although curing is in general no longer necessary in the developed world, it continues in wide use.
Bacon is cured through either a process of injecting it with or soaking it inbrine, known as wet curing, or rubbed with salt, known as dry curing.[1][5] Bacon brine has added curing ingredients, most notablynitrites ornitrates, which speed the curing and stabilise colour. Cured bacon may then be dried for weeks or months in cold air, or it may besmoked orboiled.[1] Fresh and dried bacon are typically cooked before eating, often bypan frying. Boiled bacon isready-to-eat, as is some smoked bacon, but they may be cooked further before eating. Differing flavours can be achieved by using various types of wood, or less common fuels such ascorn cobs orpeat. This process can take up to eighteen hours, depending on the intensity of the flavour desired.The Virginia Housewife (1824), thought to be one of the earliest American cookbooks, gives no indication that bacon is evernot smoked, though it gives no advice on flavouring, noting only that care should be taken lest the fire get too hot.[6]
Bacon is distinguished from other salt-curedpork by differences in the cuts of meat used and in the brine or dry packing. Historically, the termsham andbacon referred to different cuts of meat that were brined or packed identically, often together in the same barrel. Today, ham is defined as coming from the hind portion of the pig and brine specifically for curing ham includes a greater amount of sugar, while bacon is less sweet, though ingredients such asbrown sugar ormaple syrup are used for flavour. Bacon is similar tosalt pork, which in modern times is often prepared from similar cuts, but salt pork is never smoked, and has a much higher salt content.[7]
For safety, bacon may be treated to preventtrichinosis,[8] caused byTrichinella, a parasiticroundworm which can be destroyed by heating, freezing, drying, or smoking.[9] Sodium polyphosphates, such assodium triphosphate, may also be added to make the product easier to slice and to reduce spattering when the bacon is pan-fried.
Cuts
Bacon type differs depending on theprimal cut ofpork from which it is prepared,[7][1] which reflects local preference.
Uncooked strips of side bacon
Side bacon, sometimes known as "streaky bacon", comes from thepork belly.[7][1] It has long alternating layers of fat and muscle running parallel to therind.[7][10] This is the most common form of bacon in the United States.[7]
Pancetta is an Italian form of side bacon, sold smoked or unsmoked (aqua). It is generally rolled up into cylinders after curing. Pancetta is known for having a strong flavour,[7][1] and is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes such ascarbonara.
Uncooked back bacon
Back bacon contains meat from theloin and belly in the middle of the pig.[7][11] It is a leaner cut, with less fat compared to side bacon.[1] Most bacon consumed in the United Kingdom and Ireland is back bacon.[7][12]
Collar bacon is taken from the back of a pig near the head.[7][13]
Cottage bacon is made from the lean meat from a boneless pork shoulder that is typically tied into an oval shape.[7]
Sliced jowl bacon
Jowl bacon is cured and smoked cheeks of pork.[14]Guanciale is an Italian jowl bacon that is seasoned and dry cured but not smoked.
The inclusion of skin with a cut of bacon, known as the "bacon rind",[15] varies, though is less common in the English-speaking world.
Around the world
Australia and New Zealand
The most common form sold ismiddle bacon, which includes some of the streaky, fatty section of side bacon along with a portion of the loin of back bacon. In response to increasing consumerdiet-consciousness, somesupermarkets also offer the loin section only. This is sold asshort cut bacon and is usually priced slightly higher than middle bacon. Both varieties are usually available with the rind removed.[16]
Canada
Roasted peameal bacon with a maple glaze at the St. Lawrence Market inToronto, Ontario, Canada
In Canada, the termbacon on its own typically refers to side bacon.[17] Canadian-style back bacon is a lean cut from the eye of the pork loin with little surrounding fat.[17]Peameal bacon is an unsmoked back bacon, wet-cured and coated in fine-ground cornmeal (historically, it was rolled in ground, driedpeas);[17] it is popular insouthern Ontario. Bacon is often eaten in breakfasts, such as with cooked eggs or pancakes.Maple syrup is often used as a flavouring while curing bacon in Canada.
Germany
GermanSpeck, a salted, smoked, and roasted pork fatback or belly cut used as a cold cut
Some of the meanings of bacon overlap with the German-language termSpeck. Germans use the termbacon explicitly forFrühstücksspeck ('breakfastSpeck') which are cured or smoked pork slices. Traditional Germancold cuts favour ham over bacon; however,Wammerl (grilled pork belly) remains popular in Bavaria.
Small bacon cubes (calledGrieben orGrammerln in Austria and southern Germany) have been a rather important ingredient of various southern German dishes. They are used for adding flavour to soups and salads and for Speck dumplings and various noodle and potato dishes. Instead of preparing them at home from larger slices, they have been sold ready made asconvenience foods recently asBaconwürfel ("bacon cubes") in German retail stores.
Japan
In Japan, bacon (ベーコン)[18] is pronouncedbēkon. It is cured and smoked belly meat as in the US, and is sold in either regular or half-length sizes. Bacon in Japan is different from that in the US in that the meat is not sold raw, but is processed, precooked and has a ham-like consistency when cooked.[19] Uncured, sliced pork belly, known asbara (バラ), is very popular in Japan and is used in a variety of dishes (e.g.yakitori andyakiniku).
Great Britain and Ireland
Back bacon is the most common form inGreat Britain andIreland, and is the usual meaning of the plain termbacon. A thin slice of bacon is known as arasher; about 70% of bacon is sold as rashers.[20] Heavily trimmed back cuts which consist of just the eye of meat, known as amedallion, are also available. All types may be unsmoked or smoked. The side cut normal in America is known as "streaky bacon",[21] and there is also a long cut, curving round on itself, known as "middle bacon", which is back bacon at one end, and streaky at the other, as well as less common cuts.[22] Bacon is also sold and served as joints, usually boiled, broiled or roast,[23] or in thicker slices called chops or steaks. These are usually eaten as part of other meals.[5]
Bacon is often served witheggs andsausages as part of a full English breakfast.[26]
United States
The termbacon on its own generally refers to side bacon, which is the most popular type of bacon sold in the US. Back bacon is known as "Canadian bacon" or "Canadian-style bacon", and is usually sold pre-cooked and thick-sliced.[27][28] American bacons include varieties smoked withhickory,mesquite orapplewood and flavourings such asmaple,brown sugar,honey, ormolasses.[29] A side of unsliced bacon is known as "slab bacon".[30]
USDA regulations only recognise bacon as "cured" if it has been treated with synthetic nitrites or nitrates (e.g.sodium nitrate orpotassium nitrate). This means that bacon cured with nitrites derived from celery or beets (which has the same chemical outcome) must be labelled "uncured" and include a notice such as "no nitrates or nitrites added except for that naturally occurring in celery". There is also bacon for sale uncured with any nitrites from any sources.[31]
History
InMiddle English the termbacon orbacoun referred to all pork in general.[32] Before theIndustrial Revolution, bacon was generally produced on local farms and in domestic kitchens. In the 1770s, John Harris opened the world's first commercial bacon processing plant in Calne, Wiltshire.[33]
The United States and Canada have seen an increase in the popularity of bacon and bacon-related recipes, dubbed "bacon mania". The sale of bacon in the US has increased significantly since 2011.[needs update] Sales climbed 9.5% in 2013, making it an all-time high of nearly $4 billion in US. In a survey conducted by Smithfield, 65% of Americans would support bacon as their "national food".[34] Dishes such asbacon explosion,chicken fried bacon, andchocolate-covered bacon have been popularised over the Internet,[35] as has the use of candied bacon. Recipes spread quickly through both countries' nationalmedia, culinaryblogs, andYouTube.[36][37] Celebrity chefBobby Flay has endorsed a "Bacon of the Month" club online, in print,[38] and on nationaltelevision.[39]Everything Tastes Better with Bacon, a 2002 book by Sara Perry, is a cookbook in which all dishes contain bacon.[40]
Commentators explain this surging interest in bacon by reference to what they deemAmerican cultural characteristics. Sarah Hepola, in a 2008 article inSalon.com, suggests a number of reasons, one of them being that eating bacon in the modern, health-conscious world is an act of rebellion: "Loving bacon is like shoving a middle finger in the face of all that is healthy and holy while an unfiltered cigarette smoulders between your lips."[41] She also suggests bacon is sexy (with a reference to Sarah Katherine Lewis' bookSex and Bacon), kitsch, and funny. Hepola concludes by saying "bacon is America".[41]
Alison Cook, writing in theHouston Chronicle, argues the case of bacon's American citizenship by referring to historical and geographical uses of bacon.[36] Early American literature echoes the sentiment—inEbenezer Cooke's 1708 poemThe Sot-Weed Factor, a satire of life in early colonial America, the narrator already complains that practically all the food in America was bacon-infused.[42]
As of December 2016, the U.S. national frozen pork belly inventory totaled 17.8 million lb (8.1 million kg), the lowest level in 50 years.[43]
Streaky bacon is more commonly used as a topping in the US on such items aspizza,salads,sandwiches,hamburgers,baked potatoes,hot dogs, andsoups. In the US, sliced smoked back bacon is used less frequently than the streaky variety, but can sometimes be found on pizza, salads, andomelettes.
Bacon is also used as an accent in dishes, such as bacon-toppedmeatloaf,[47]sautéed crisp and crumbled intogreen beans,[48] or as a crumble in a salad.
Bacon fat liquefies and becomesdrippings when it is heated. Once cool, it firms into a form oflard. Bacon fat is flavourful and is used for various cooking purposes. Traditionally, bacon grease is saved in British andsouthern US cuisine, and used as a base for cooking and as an all-purpose flavouring, for everything fromgravy tocornbread[49] tosalad dressing.[50]
In Germany,Griebenschmalz is a popular spread made from bacon lard.
Bacon is often used for a cooking technique calledbarding consisting of laying or wrapping strips of bacon or other fats over a roast to provide additional fat to a lean piece of meat. It is often used for roastgame birds, and is a traditional method of preparing beeffilet mignon, which is wrapped in strips of bacon before cooking. The bacon itself may afterwards be discarded or served to eat, likecracklings. It may also be cut intolardons.
One teaspoon (4 g or 0.14 oz) of bacon grease has 38 calories (40 kJ/g).[51] It is composed almost completely of fat, with very little additional nutritional value. Bacon fat is roughly 40%saturated.[51] Despite thelikely health risks of excessive bacon grease consumption, it remains popular in the cuisine of theAmerican South.[52]
Nutrients
One 10 g slice of cooked side bacon contains 4.5 g of fat, 3.0 g of protein, and 205 mg of sodium.[53] The fat, protein, and sodium content varies depending on the cut and cooking method.
68% of the food energy of bacon comes from fat, almost half of which is saturated.[54] A serving of three slices of bacon contains 30 milligrams ofcholesterol (0.1%).[54][55]
Studies have consistently found the consumption of processed meat to be linked to increasedmortality, and to an increased risk of developing a number of serious health conditions includingcancer,cardiovascular disease andtype 2 diabetes.[56][57] As bacon is very high in salt, it comes with all the negativehealth effects associated with high salt intake.[58]
Bacon can contain nitrites, which can form carcinogenicnitroso-compounds such asS-Nitrosothiols, nitrosyl-heme andnitrosamines. In the United States,sodium nitrite cannot exceed certain levels in bacon.Vitamin C (ascorbate) orsodium erythorbate can be added to bacon, which greatly reduces the formation of nitrosamines but has no effect onS-Nitrosothiols and nitrosyl-heme.[59]Vitamin E (tocopherol) also reduces nitrosamine levels. Bacon fried at higher temperatures potentially has more nitrosamines than bacon fried at lower temperatures.[60]
Several alternatives to and substitutes for bacon have been developed for those who cannot or prefer not to eat standard pork bacon, including beef, chicken, turkey, bison, soy, and coconut bacon.
Chopped, formed, colored, and flavoured turkey bacon strips
Turkey bacon is consumed by some as an alternative to pork bacon for health benefits, religious laws, or other concerns.[1][63] It is lower in fat and food energy than bacon,[1][63] but is used similarly.[63]
The meat for turkey bacon comes from the whole turkey, which is chopped and reformed into strips to resemble bacon, and can be cured or uncured, orsmoked.[1] Turkey bacon is cooked by pan-frying.[63] Cured turkey bacon made fromdark meat can be less than 10% fat.[64] The low fat content of turkey bacon means it does not shrink while being cooked and has a tendency to stick to the pan.[64]
"Macon" is produced by curing cuts ofmutton in a manner similar to the production of pork bacon.[65] Historically produced inScotland, it was introduced across Britain duringWorld War II as a consequence of rationing.[66][67] It is today available as an alternative to bacon, produced for the Muslim market and sold athalal butchers; it is largely similar in appearance to pork bacon except for the darker colour.[68]
Vegetarian bacon, also referred to asfacon,veggie bacon, orvacon, is a vegetarian "bacon" made from plant matter.[69] It has no cholesterol, is low in fat, and contains large amounts of protein and fibre.[69] Two slices contain about 310 kilojoules (74 kcal).[69] Vegetarian bacon is usually made from marinated strips oftextured soy protein ortempeh (fermented soybeans).
Bacon-flavoured products
The popularity of bacon in the United States has given rise to a number of commercial products that promise to add bacon flavouring without the labour involved in cooking it.
Bacon bits
Bacon bits
Bacon bits are a frequently used topping onsalad or potatoes, and a common element ofsalad bars.[1] They are usually salted. Bacon bits are made from small, crumbled pieces of bacon;[1] in commercial plants they are cooked in continuousmicrowave ovens. Similar products are made from ham or turkey, and vegetarian substitutes are made fromtextured vegetable protein, artificially flavoured to resemble bacon.[70]
Nicholls, George J.; Institute of Certificated Grocers (1924).Bacon and Hams (2nd ed., revised ed.). London: Institute of Certificated Grocers.OCLC18696687.
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