Bacon

Bacon comes from the side of the pig. The meat is cured and usually smoked before you cook it at home. It's the fat in the bacon that provides most of the flavor and allows it to cook up crispy, yet tender.

Varieties distinguished by cut of meat or curing process became standardized in association with particular countries or regions, such as the Irish or various Italian styles. The relatively long storage life of bacon made it the only meat to gain importance as an international trade commodity in the late 19th century.

In the United States in the 20th century, bacon is generally marketed in five standard styles: slab, regular sliced, thin sliced, thick sliced, and ends and pieces. Slab bacon is taken from the side or belly of a hog that has been cured for 10-14 days under refrigeration, then cooked and smoked; it contains streaks of lean and fat, and one side is usually covered with skin. Sliced bacon is cut from the slab; it is usually shingled for packaging, with the outer skin removed.

Bacon is widely enjoyed for its unique, smoky flavor. It is a favorite with eggs and is used in the preparation or garnishment of a wide variety of dishes.

Origin: Bacon was for centuries the staple meat of the western European peasantry.

Nutrition Facts: Bacon is high in saturated fat and sodium (salt), but can be a good source of Protein and Selenium. Bacon has an extremely high fat content and is therefore not an especially nutritious meat. By weight, raw American-style bacon contains only about 8.5 percent protein. Also, most bacon, like other commercially cured meats, contains the additive sodium nitrite, the possible carcinogenic properties of which generated controversy in the late 1970s.

History: Bacon or bacoun was a Middle English term used to refer to all pork in general. The term bacon comes from various Germanic and French dialects. It derives from the French bako, Common Germanic bakkon and Old Teutonic backe, all of which refer to the back. There are breeds of pigs particularly grown for bacon, notably the Yorkshire and Tamworth. In England, a side of bacon is called a gammon, and a slice of bacon is known as a rasher. Seventy percent of the bacon in America is consumed at the breakfast table.