Bacon

Fried bacon

Uncooked streaky bacon

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"). "USDA Certified" bacon means that it has been treated for trichinella.

Bacon may be taken from the side, belly, or back of a pig. It is preserved by being salted or pickled and then dried. 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.

Traditionally, the process consisted of soaking the pork in brine or rubbing it in a salt mixture by hand, then smoking the sides in smoke from an open chimney. This sometimes took as much as three or four months. Bacon continues to be home cured in some rural communities, but the bulk of its manufacture is carried on in large industrial meatpacking plants that slaughter, dress, cure, smoke, and package on a large scale. Bacon has one of the highest fat contents of any cut of meat.

History

Bacon was a staple meat for European peasants for many centuries. Its long storage life, due to the curing process, and the ready availability of pigs, made it available for all. It was the first meat to become an important international trade commodity.

In the twelfth century, a church in the English town of Dunmow promised a side of bacon to any married man who could swear before the congregation and God that he had not quarreled with his wife for a year and a day. A husband who succeeded was held in high esteem by the community for his forebearance. The phrase to "bring home the bacon" reflects this tradition.

As with other parts of the pig, though, the eating of bacon is forbidden in certain religions. Specifically, the meat of the pig is not permitted for consumption by the Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Seventh-day Adventist, and Rastafarian faiths. The Jewish, Muslim, and Rastafarian dietary laws prohibiting this are known as Kashrut, Halal, and Ital, respectively. For example, in Leviticus 11:7-8, when God gave instructions to Moses concerning the dietary laws for Israel:

And the swine ... he is unclean unto you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

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:

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. A link between frequent ingestion of meats cured with nitrites and the COPD form of lung disease has also been suggested.

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...?

Breakfast

An Irish breakfast consisting of sausages, black and white pudding, bacon and fried eggs, served with a glass of orange juice.

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.

BLT sandwich

As a topping

Chili Dogs topped with bacon

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.

Flammkuchen from Berlin

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 frying in bacon 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 to salad dressing.

One teaspoon (Or 4 grams) of bacon grease has 38 calories. It is composed almost completely of fat, with very little additional nutritional value. Bacon fat is roughly 40 percent saturated. 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

Back bacon

An individual slice of bacon is known as 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.

Canadian bacon

In the United States, back bacon is called "Canadian-style bacon" or "Canadian bacon" but this term refers usually to the lean ovoid portion. 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.

Asia

File:Sam-gyeop-sal.jpg

Korean samgyeopsal

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.

Europe

Pasta with bacon, Switzerland

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.

References

ISBN 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

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