bacon

 

flesh of hogs—especially from the sides, belly, or back—that has been preserved by being salted or pickled and then dried with or without wood smoke. 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. It sometimes took three or four months. Bacon is still home cured in some rural communities, but the bulk of its manufacture is carried on in large industrial meatpacking plants equipped to slaughter, dress, cure, smoke, and sell on a large scale. Bacon refers to different cuts in different countries. In the United States it usually means the side between the fifth rib and the hipbone. In Europe, the word bacon generally refers to one half of a fattened pig. Bacon has one of the highest fat contents of any cut of meat.

Bacon is defined as 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 may also be cured or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon, such as chicken,goat or turkey bacon. In continental Europe, it is used primarily in cubes (lardons) as a cooking ingredient valued both as a source of fat and for its flavour. In Italy, besides being used in cooking, bacon (pancetta) is also 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 their bacon smoked by using various types of woods. This process can take up to ten hours depending on the intensity of the flavour desired. Bacon may be eaten fried, baked, or grilled.

A side of unsliced bacon is a flitch or slab bacon, 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. 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 flavours whereas bacon in the United States is predominantly what is known as "streaky bacon", or "streaky rashers" in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Bacon made from the meat on the back of the pig is referred to as back bacon and is part of traditional British and Irish breakfasts. In the United States, back bacon may also be referred to as Canadian-style Bacon or Canadian Bacon.^[1]

The USDA defines bacon as "the cured belly of a swine carcass," while other cuts and characteristics must be separately qualified (e.g. "smoked pork loin bacon").^[2] "USDA Certified" bacon means that it has been treated for trichinella.

Back bacon or Canadian bacon

Back bacon is a lean meaty cut of bacon.

Canadian bacon is a term used in the United States but elsewhere it is simply back bacon. It refers to any lean meaty cut of bacon. In Canada back bacon is sometimes known as peameal bacon, which refers to a specific variety of unsmoked lean bacon that has been sweet pickle-cured and coated in yellow cornmeal (originally, as the name suggests, peameal was used). Other proteins, such as turkey and beef, can be made in the style of peameal bacon by employing this same sweet pickle and cornmeal process.

In the US, products sold as "Canadian bacon" are very often nothing more than pieces of ham cut into circles; not the true peameal bacon popular in Canada. Such "Canadian bacon" is a popular ingredient in fast-food breakfast sandwiches, including the Egg McMuffin.

In Asia

In Korea, the most popular cooked meat is grilled 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 and wrapped in lettuce, along with other condiments such as raw garlic 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. Soju is often accompanied.

In Eastern Europe

It is a custom in areas of Eastern Europe such as Hungary and Slovakia to roast bacon over a rotisserie grill, the dripping fat being put onto a slice of ham with radish, green pepper, and Paprika. Other ingredients may also be used. Later innovations include the use of a bread toasting pan used in camping to catch the drippings. At campfires, Hungarians typically roast bacon on a stick, catching the drippings on a slice of bread, and wash it down with a drink of Palinka, the local brandy. In Hungary, bacon is also traditionally consumed as part of a cold meal, such as breakfast or supper, cut into small, bite-size slices, and eaten with white bread, yellow wax-peppers, and tomatoes.

Precooked bacon

In recent years in North America, pre-cooked bacon, which can be eaten out of the package or quickly reheated, has become a popular alternative to traditional bacon. Pre-cooked bacon, by USDA definition, is bacon which has been cooked to a finished yield of 40% or less. In other words, if 1 pound of raw bacon is cooked to 0.4 pounds or less, then it may be labeled as fully cooked bacon. Most pre-cooked bacon is considered shelf stable (may be stored safely at room temperature) because it is vacuum-sealed, has a high brine concentration, and the water activity is low enough to prevent the outgrowth of pathogenic organisms.^[3]

Bacon used as a topping

In the US 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 omelettes. 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 flavoured to resemble authentic bacon bits are also available.

Nutrients

Select nutritional data from types of bacon in the USDA National Nutrient Database:^[4]

	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

See also

• Pancetta
• Salt pork
• Lard
• Guanciale
• Bacon grease

References

External links

• Cooking For Engineers - Cooking Tests: Bacon (Part I) | (Part II)
• About.com- History of Bacon Part III

be-x-old:Бекон

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