Today I found out where Bacon comes from. Now you might think, as I always did, that Bacon comes from combining two parts awesome with a smidgen of outstanding. But in fact, Bacon, or as my brother calls it “meat candy”, obviously comes from our snout nosed little bald friends, pigs, which don’t seem remotely awesome. Though of course, one can also find Bacon made from turkey, chicken, and even soy for all our smelly hippie friends out there.
More interestingly, what part of a pig does bacon come from? Well that depends on the style. American Bacon, or “streaky bacon” as our lovely limey friends from the British Isles like to call it, is generally cut from the fatty sides of a pig’s belly. Who says belly fat is a bad thing? If you ever find yourself in an apocalyptic scenario with no food about, consider caging a few of us pot-bellied Americans. Bacon for everyone!
Now Canadian Bacon, known as “back bacon” to the English who apparently like to come up with their own names for everything Bacon related, is made up of the tender loins located on the back of Piglet and his swine friends. This obviously produces a more “meaty” strip of heaven, without as much artery lubricating fat.
Then of course, we have the sides of the pig, which are also used for Bacon, but to which no country has yet staked its name to. Might I propose we call it “English Bacon” so that the limeys won’t insist on coming up with a different name for the sweet meaty goodness that is side bacon?
Now for preparing future bacon, after the strips of flesh have been cut from the pig, they are then soaked in brine or rubbed in a salt mixture. Next, the treated flesh is typically dried by smoking it from fires burning with various materials such as hickory. oak, etc, though it can also simply be left out in a cold place to dry over the course of a couple months.
Bonus Factoids:
- It turns out that there is very little difference between Bacon and Salted Pork or Ham. The difference between them is primarily in the brine used to cure the flesh.
- In many countries, Bacon is not typically cut into strips, but rather into cubes.
Sources:
Of course bacon typically comes from pigs. Most people, surely, know that already. Or were you being miseleading by most of the article and you DID know already? Obviously the “two parts of awesome with a smidgen of outstanding” was sarcastic, but then you babble on about which part of the pig, which is understandably dependant on what kind of bacon it is. Please let me know what the purpose of this article was and I apolagise if I’ve come off a little strong. It’s a bad job if people don’t know where bacon comes from.
England gave the world bacon so they can call it what they like. What North Americans call it is neither here nor there. Then of course you DO NOT have the sides of the pig! Streaky bacon joins directly to back bacon so there is no “side”. The back leg is gammon and the front is shoulder. There are other cuts of bacon, but Americans would not understand so I won’t waste my time trying to explain. A poorly researched article full of inaccuracies – must try harder!
@Patty: Actually, coming from someone who’s actually made bacon, I can tell you that typically bacon is made and sold from three distinct parts of the pig, the belly, sides, and back. I don’t really know if “Streaky bacon”, as you English call it, comes from strips going from the belly all the way to the back, but I’d be surprised as I’ve never seen or heard of bacon made that way. The reason being, that this would have half the strip very fatty from the belly, gradually getting more lean and meaty as you get closer to the back. So the pieces would be very uneven in terms of fat content, which is undesirable when marketing bacon. They typically make bacon by making horizontal strips of the belly, side, and back. The belly bacon has the most fat. Side bacon is medium. And back bacon being very meaty and lean. Going horizontally makes for nice even strips. Going vertically would not do that at all.
Also, nobody knows who invented bacon, but we do know that bacon was being served all the way back in Athens in 300 B.C., long before the British empire existed.
Nice try England.
“There are other cuts of bacon, but Americans would not understand” hahahaha. you’ve just affirmed every stereotype I’ve ever heard about British people and being completely stuck up and elitist. Maybe try getting the stick out of your butt before posting comments in the future.
Cured pork (i.e. bacon) bones have been found in pits recently dug at Stonehenge which have been found to be 6,000 years old. This is well over 3,500 years before bacon was served in Athens, so Patty is correct there. In Britain pigs are bred for bacon and are reared differently from pigs bred for pork. The whole pig – apart from head and offal – not just three parts, is used for bacon. Right again Patty. If you want to know the cuts of bacon, check out this diagram :- http://www.muckandmagicorganic.co.uk/images/sporkcuts.png
It shows pork cuts but is identical to bacon cuts in Britain. Americans please note: there is no “side”. Patty is right yet again. Please get a grip America.
What’s worse than arguing stupidly with people in forums? Arguing stupidly with people in comments!
All this from a country that ‘invited’ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Yes, we Brits are elitist, but that comes from the time when we had the British Empire and ruled a sizable part of the globe before the US decided it wanted to play. We like being this stereotype, it beats the stereotypical lard-arse, ignorant, gun obsessed red necks.
Now calm down skeeter, they ain’t hurtin’ nobody.
I think this article was very funny, and right or wrong on the information, if you don’t agree that bacon is delicious then why are you reading an article on bacon? And why did you stop your therapy sessions? Or was this about the US vs. England?
As an Englishman, I found this very insulting. And wrong. That cat knows more than you do.
So all in all, good job
Why are we limeys though? Some stupid stereotypical nickname?
I don’t give a crap about who invented it but, I’M SO GLAD THEY DID! (P.S. Brits are sometimes called “Limeys” because old time British sailors were given lime juice as a dietary supplement once it was figured out that the usual shipboard diet of the time was deficient in what we now call Vitamin C.)