It is called a michigan (no sandwich). See NDP’s post above. The meat sandwich you might remember was probably a Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich (think pastrami sandwich).
No, it isn’t. With lots of chopped onions and Cayenne pepper, it is quite good
Note the chain of names here. A Michigan (or a Michigan hot dog) is a hot dog that’s served in Canada which has spaghetti sauce on top of it. That name isn’t used in Michigan itself, but there’s something similar that was invented in Michigan and often served in the American Midwest which is called a Coney Island hot dog (or a coney dog), but it has chili on top of it. That name isn’t used in Coney Island itself (where some claim that the hot dog was invented), where a hot dog doesn’t tend to have chili put on top of it, but it is usually called a frankfurter (or a frank), after the city of Frankfurt in Germany. In Frankfurt they serve sausages (vaguely like hot dogs) on buns, but they don’t call them franks or frankfurter. So a Michigan is a Canadian adaptation of a Michigan adaptation of a Coney Island adaptation of a Frankfurt food item.
Yes, there are disagreements about what extras to put on top of a Michigan in Canada, a coney dog in the Midwest, or a hot dog in Coney Island. You can read more about these various items in the Wikipedia entries for Michigan hot dog, for Coney Island hot dogs, and for hot dogs. Yes, there are doubtlessly areas of Canada where no one uses the term “Michigan hot dogs,” areas of the American Midwest where no one uses the term “Coney Island hot dogs,” parts of Coney Island where hot dogs aren’t called “franks,” and parts of Frankfurt where sausages aren’t served in buns, so some of this information may not apply in all the mentioned areas.
Where it comes from is irrelevant – the curing process is what makes it bacon. Traditionally, a whole side of pig would be cured in one piece, and it was all bacon. The only cut that I can think of that’s called anything else (in the UK anyway) is gammon, which (traditionally) was the hind leg cut off after the side of bacon had been cured. If it was jointed first and cured separately, it was called ham.
Back or “Canadian” bacon does not come from the belly, as our standard US strip bacon does. It comes from… amazingly enough… the back!
I went to Toronto a few years ago – street vendors were selling sandwiches and burgers with “peameal,” which I learned is what Canadians call “Canadian bacon.”
Next you’re going to be telling us french fries aren’t called that in France. Wait, what?
Usually, “cheese slices” or “Kraft slices.” My US-born wife asked me the other day if I wanted some American cheese. I was puzzled until I saw she was pointing at what I’d simply call “cheese slices.”
Born and raised in New Brunswick (25 years), and I’ll echo Leaffan: Never heard of it. I’ve never heard of the hotdog with spaghetti sauce on it, either. Bleh.
Can’t think of anything that even has the name “Michigan” in it.
ETA: just saw detop’s post. Still never heard of it, but it seems to be out there.
Peameal is a slightly different thing than Back Bacon. And it’s ucky, to my Prairie palate.
See, this is how food confusion starts. I believe there is a cultural and perhaps linguistic muddle here… What we got here, is a failure to comm-un-i-cate.
Detop, would it be fair to say that the sauce on a “Michigan” isn’t truly spaghetti sauce, but a very spicy meat sauce characterized by cayenne and American chilli powder? And that your misnomer, “spaghetti sauce”, was just a culinary correlate familiar to you that you used as a comparative term? It isn’t truly Spaghetti sauce, is it? Tomato might be the base of this “Michigan” sauce, but the predominate flavors aren’t oregano and basil, eh? It is maybe more reminiscent of American Chilli?
I believe a “Michigan” and a “Coney Dog” are the same thing in culinary terms differing only in the terminology.
Agreed. back in NJ, we called these “Texas Wieners.” “One, all the way” meant to add chopped raw onions on top of the chili sauce.
Nope. Around here, you would be hard put to find any kind of chili. And if they serve Italian food also, they will take the sauce from the same cooking container they took the spaghetti sauce. I should specify, that the onions and the Cayenne are added on top of the michigan after the sauce is poured.
Yea, that sounds like Johnny’s Lunch NJ/NY terminology, which through a horrible turn of fate and poor marketing strategy decided to base its operations near in Toledo. The Home of Tony Packo’s Hot Dog’s and Rudy’s Hot Dogs (Hungarian and Greek Coney’s, respectively.)
Apparently, Johnny’s lunch has a tomato based chili sauce {alt.- Coney sauce} with Italian overtones, which as far as I’m concerned is sacrilege. A good Coney Island sauce is just meat and spices, with maybe, maybe, a speck of tomato paste to round out the flavors. That’s the Toledo tradition. From what I’ve heard, this gloopy sauce that Johnny’s puts on their Dogs is comparable to spaghetti sauce (blech!). Ah well, I shouldn’t really comment until I try them… but it just seems so wrong… they’re trying to muscle in on the best coney dogs in the world with the a Rally’s “value menu” strategy. Cheap over quality… it’s a shame.
Ok, well then… Disregard.
That does sound vile.
And just what the hell is peameal? Is that some kind of ground pea flour, or what? They coat bacon in a meal (flour) of some sort?
Agreed - peameal is sort of rectangular and sold in a brick - my mom used to make this peameal dish with mustard - I hated it.
Canadian bacon (or back bacon) is round and disk-like
Montreal smoked meat - Is a delicious pastrami-ish meat - but better.
My two cents worth - lifelong Canadian, felt qualified to answer
Yes, pretty much. Grind up dried peas, and voila! Peameal. Not powdery, like flour; more of a rough consistency, like cornmeal.
Peameal bacon isn’t my preferred form of bacon, but I’ve seen it often enough in the supermarket; and yes, the outside of the slab of bacon is coated in peameal.
Another dream… Crushed. sob
All this time I thought it was made from real Canadians…
I feel somewhat duped.
Peameal bacon is cured pork loin.
From here:
Canadian Bacon, Babee!
Oh yea, Baby! Come and get some peameal!
