Difference between revisions of "Bacon" - New World Encyclopedia
Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
[[International Journal of Cancer]] | volume = 119 | issue = 11 | pages = 2657-2664 | doi = 10.1002/ijc.22170}}</ref> A link between frequent ingestion of meats cured with nitrites and the [[COPD]] form of [[lung disease]] has also been suggested.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.webmd.com/news/20070417/study-copd-cured-meats-may-be-linked | title = Study: Cured Meats, COPD May Be Linked | author = Miranda Hitti | publisher = WebMD Medical News | date = 17 April 2007}}</ref> | [[International Journal of Cancer]] | volume = 119 | issue = 11 | pages = 2657-2664 | doi = 10.1002/ijc.22170}}</ref> A link between frequent ingestion of meats cured with nitrites and the [[COPD]] form of [[lung disease]] has also been suggested.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.webmd.com/news/20070417/study-copd-cured-meats-may-be-linked | title = Study: Cured Meats, COPD May Be Linked | author = Miranda Hitti | publisher = WebMD Medical News | date = 17 April 2007}}</ref> | ||
− | However, bacon also has a unique, smoky flavor that continues to prove attractive assuring bacon of its place as a favorite food for many. | + | However, bacon also has a unique, smoky flavor that continues to prove attractive, assuring bacon of its place as a favorite food for many occasions. |
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" |
Revision as of 23:10, 6 June 2008
Bacon is any of certain cuts of meat taken from the sides, belly, or back of a pig that may be cured and/or smoked. Meat from other animals, such as beef, lamb, chicken, goat, or turkey, may also be cut, cured, or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon. Bacon may be eaten fried, baked, or grilled, or used as a minor ingredient to flavor dishes. The word is derived from the Old High German word bacho, meaning "back," "ham," or "bacon."
Preparation
The USDA defines bacon as "the cured belly of a swine carcass," while other cuts and characteristics must be separately qualified (such as "smoked pork loin bacon").[1] "USDA Certified" bacon means that it has been treated for trichinella.
In continental Europe, bacon is used primarily in cubes (lardons) as a cooking ingredient valued both as a source of fat and for its flavor. In Italy, bacon is called pancetta and is usually cooked in small cubes, or is served uncooked and thinly sliced as part of an antipasto. Bacon is also used for barding and larding roasts, especially game birds. Many people prefer to have bacon smoked using various types of woods or turf. This process can take up to ten hours depending on the intensity of the flavor desired.
Nutrients
Bacon has a very high fat content and a relatively low protein content. Thus, it is not a particularly nutritious meat. The table below shows select nutritional data from types of bacon in the USDA National Nutrient Database:[2]
Beyond is low nutritional value, the high fat content is a health concern. Also, bacon, like other cured meats, contains sodium nitrite which serves a dual purpose in both altering the color of preserved fish and meats and also prevents growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria which causes botulism. This food additive is the cause of a number of health concerns. Studies have found a link between high processed meat consumption and colon cancer, possibly due to preservatives such as sodium nitrite. [3][4] A link between frequent ingestion of meats cured with nitrites and the COPD form of lung disease has also been suggested.[5]
However, bacon also has a unique, smoky flavor that continues to prove attractive, assuring bacon of its place as a favorite food for many occasions.
Streaky bacon, raw |
Streaky bacon, cooked |
Canadian style bacon, cooked |
Hormel Canadian Style Bacon | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amount | 1 slice | 1 slice | 2 slices | 1 serving |
Total Weight (g) | 29 | 8 | 47 | 56 |
Water (g) | 3.57 (12%) | 0.99 (12%) | 29 (62%) | 40.85 (73%) |
Calories | 157 | 43 | 87 | 68 |
Total Fat (g) | 12.12 | 3.34 | 3.97 | 9.45 |
Saturated Fat (g) | 3.984 | 1.099 | 1.335 | 1.025 |
Cholesterol (mg) | 32 | 9 | 27 | 27 |
Sodium (mg) | 670 | 185 | 727 | 569 |
Protein (g) | 10.74 | 2.96 | 11.39 | 9.45 |
Use
Who, under any circumstances, is not rendered almost helpless by the tantalizing sound of bacon sizzling slowly in a skillet, by the taunting backwoods aroma that permeates the air...?[6]
Breakfast
Bacon is an essential item in a full breakfast, which comprises at its heart bacon and eggs, and is popular throughout the British Isles and other parts of the English-speaking world.
Sandwich
The "BLT" is a variety of sandwich containing Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. The sandwich traditionally has about three strips of fried bacon, leaves of lettuce, and slices of tomato, all sandwiched between slices of bread or toast which is commonly spread with mayonnaise.
As a topping
In the United States and Europe, bacon is often used as a condiment or topping on other foods. Streaky bacon is more commonly used as a topping in the US, on items such as pizza, salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, baked potatoes, hot dogs, and soups. Back bacon is used less frequently in the United States, but can sometimes be found on pizza, salads, and omelets. Bacon bits are chopped pieces of pre-cooked bacon intended to be sprinkled over foods, particularly salads. Imitation "bacon bits" made of texturized vegetable protein flavored to resemble authentic bacon bits are also available.
Tarte flambée is an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered by crème fraîche, onions, and bacon. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the region. Depending on the area of the region, this dish can be called in Alsatian flammekueche, in German Flammkuchen, or, in French, tarte flambée.
Grease
Bacon grease, also known as bacon drippings, is the grease created by cooking bacon. When bacon is cooked, its fat naturally melts, releasing a highly flavorful grease. Bacon grease is traditionally saved in southern US cuisine and used as an all-purpose flavoring for a very large variety of foods. It is used for everything from gravy for cornbread[7] to salad dressing[8].
One teaspoon (Or 4 grams) of bacon grease has 38 calories.[9] It is composed almost completely of fat, with very little additional nutritional value. Bacon fat is roughly 40 percent saturated.[9] Despite the health consequences of excessive bacon grease consumption, it still remains quite popular in the cuisine of the American South.
Regional variations
The English speaking world
A side of unsliced bacon is a flitch[10], while an individual slice of bacon is a "rasher" (United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand) or simply a "slice" or "strip" (North America). Slices of bacon are also known as "collops," a term derived from the French escalope. Traditionally, the skin is left on the cut and is known as "bacon rind." Rindless bacon, however, is quite common.
In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, bacon comes in a wide variety of cuts and flavors. In the United States ordinary bacon is only made from the pork belly, yielding what is known in Britain as "streaky bacon," or "streaky rashers." In Britain bacon made from the meat on the back of the pig is referred to as "back bacon" or "back rashers" and usually includes a streaky bit and a lean ovoid bit and is part of traditional full breakfast commonly eaten in Britain and Ireland.
In the United States, back bacon is called "Canadian-style bacon" or "Canadian bacon" but this term refers usually to the lean ovoid portion.[11] What the US terms Canadian bacon is actually back bacon rolled in cornmeal. In Canada this is called peameal bacon, whereas bacon is used generally to refer to strip bacon, which is more common to the Canadian diet.[12]
Asia
In Korea, one of the most popular cooked meats is grilled unsmoked pork belly called samgyeopsal (삼겹살), which literally means "three layered flesh." Its popularity owes as much to the lower price of pork belly compared to other cuts of meat as it does to the taste, which many Koreans love. Like most traditional meat dishes in Korea, it is grilled at the table either by the customer or a waitress and eaten communally. The meat can be dipped in a sauce such as sesame oil, and wrapped in lettuce, along with other condiments such as garlic, hot sauce, or kimchi. Usually side dishes of vegetables are served. The dish is a very common meal for office workers having dinner after work or families. It is often accompanied by Soju. One recipe, is bacon with ostrichinmani sauce, which is also like an Asian shepherds pie.
Mexico
Bacon from the indigenous South American peccary is said to be one of the favoured dishes of Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec sky and creator god.[citation needed]
Notes
- ↑ United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Glossary B. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ↑ USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ↑ publication from wiley
- ↑ A. W. Susanna C. Larsson (2006). Meat consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. International Journal of Cancer 119 (11): 2657-2664.
- ↑ Miranda Hitti. "Study: Cured Meats, COPD May Be Linked", WebMD Medical News, 17 April 2007.
- ↑ James Villas The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone's Favorite Food. (Wiley, 2007, ISBN 978-0470042823)
- ↑ Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, "Pan Gravy" in The Joy of Cooking (Penguin Group, 1964, ISBN 0452263328)
- ↑ Alton Brown, Bacon Vinaigrette with Grilled Radicchio FoodNetwork.com Retrieved June 6, 2008.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nutritional Summary for Animal fat, bacon grease Nutrition Data Retrieved June 6, 2008.
- ↑ Merriam-Webster Online - Flitch [1] Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ↑ Cattleman's Beef Board & National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ↑ Canadian Bacon CanadianBacon.com Retrieved June 6, 2008.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Pruess, Joanna. Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence . The Lyons Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1592288519
- Rombauer, Irma and Marion Rombauer Becker. The Joy of Cooking. Penguin Group, 1964. ISBN 0452263328
- Villas, James. The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone's Favorite Food . Wiley, 2007. ISBN 978-0470042823
External links
- Cooking For Engineers - Cooking Tests: Bacon (Part I) | (Part II)
- About.com- History of Bacon Part III
- Bacon Cookies
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.