On December 30th each year, bacon lovers celebrate one of nature’s favored gifts on Bacon Day!
- In the United States and Canada, bacon is made from the pork belly.
- Elsewhere in the world, the side and back cuts of pork are used. The meat is cured in either a salt brine or in a salt pack. It is then either dried, boiled, or smoked.
- The origins of Bacon stretches back into the middle ages, with the name originating in Middle English from the word “Bacoun”. Following it back you find it in France as Bako, Germany as Bakko, and old Teutonic as Backe. All of these words mean “back”.
- But that’s not even the earliest example of bacon, the first bacon was known to come from the Romans, and was known as ‘Petaso’.
- Bacon has been a popular method of preserving meat and adding a delicious flavor to it by soaking it in a specialized brine.
- There were even certain breeds that were specially bred for their copious back meat, and those were the Yorkshire and Tamworth.
- But it wasn’t always just the back meat that was referred to as Bacon, at one time it referenced any kind of preserved pork, but that usage fell out of practice in the 17th Century.
- Bacon is one of the oldest processed meats. The Chinese were the first to cook salted pork bellies over 3000 years ago.
- The first bacon factory opened in 1770. But in the 18th century, a man by the name of John Harris opened the first bacon processing plant. Mr. Harris had developed a special brining solution called the “Wiltshire Cure,” which is still used today.
- You may recognize the phrase “bringing home the bacon” as a reference to making money. But in 12th century England, this phrase meant something completely different. Back then, churches would award a side of bacon (which they called a “flitch”) to any married man who swore before God that he and his wife had not argued for a year and a day. Therefore, men who “brought home the bacon” were looked upon as good husbands and citizens.
- During WWII, the U.S. government urged citizens to donate their excess bacon fat to the army. A whole committee was even created for it: The American Fat Salvage Committee. The fat was used to make glycerin which in turn was used to make bombs.
- America Eats 5,608,654,506 Pounds Each Year or 18 pounds per person per year.
- Held every year in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Camp Bacon offers a wide range of bacon related activities which include speakers, cooking classes, and of course, bacon tasting.
- Oscar Mayer launched an app called Sizzl which helps “true bacon lovers…find each other and potentially meet their soulmates in life and in bacon.” Sizzl is like other mobile dating apps in that it accesses your Facebook profile to retrieve your information. It then polls you on your favorite type of bacon. And get this: instead of swiping right or left, you press and hold a “sizzl-meter” for the person you like.
- Can’t get enough of that sweet, delicious bacon smell? There’s a bacon cologne for that. A scent by Fargginay, bacōn (pronounced “bay-cone”) is the world’s first bacon fragrance.
- In a 2010 Maple Leaf national survey, four in ten (43%) Canadians chose bacon when asked to choose between bacon and sex. Respondents from British Columbia seemed to be particularly fond of bacon as 50% said they would give up sex before bacon. By contrast, only 37% in Quebec would give up sex before bacon.
- Originally intended as an April Fool’s prank, J&D’s Foods created the first known bacon condom. But don’t worry, the condoms are made from latex and are coated with the company’s unique bacon water-based lube. Oh yeah, they have that as well.
- The suburban development that happened in the wake of WWII brought more supermarkets to middle class families that lived in suburban areas. Supermarkets made fresh vegetables and meats readily available year-round, and thus, the modern BLT was born. They’re so simple and delicious.
- The first sliced and packaged bacon hit grocery store shelves in 1924, and all thanks to Oscar Meyer. Many other companies shortly followed, and it’s now basically a household staple.
- The First Manned Mission Around The Moon Featured Bacon. All Apollo 8 breakfasts had a key element of bacon in them, and the entire crew loved it so much they said they’d even eat the space bacon back on earth.
- Bacon camp is like summer camp, but with less canoeing and more bacon cooking. Held every year in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Camp Bacon features speakers, cooking classes, and other bacon-related activities for chefs and enthusiasts eager to learn more about their favorite food.
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