# Canadians: What do you call Canadian bacon? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483 "2017-03-05T17:02:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/21 "2017-03-05T20:26:06Z")
I learned it was called “back bacon” from Bob and Doug MacKenzie. \*🎼On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Four pounds of back bacon, Three French toast, Two turtlenecks, And a beeeer in a treeeeee.🎶\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/22 "2017-03-05T20:28:02Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Well, I didn’t have any reason to visit Newfoundland BEFORE, but now … I was just getting ready to make the same reply! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/23 "2017-03-05T20:33:28Z")
What Canadians call “American cheese” we call “back cheese”. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/24 "2017-03-05T20:34:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > No. A crumpet is like a thick pancake. The thing you call an English muffin, we call a muffin. And the cake-y type things with blueberries or chocolate in them we call… a muffin as well. Context means there is never a mix-up. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/25 "2017-03-05T20:45:38Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The French call them “pomme frites”, as do the Germans funnily enough. > > \*"pomme de terre is French for potato. Is America the only nation that names its food after other countries? French toast, French dressing, Swedish meatballs, Spanish rice, Israeli couscous, Italian ice, Irish coffee. Maybe we as a country lack creativity. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/26 "2017-03-05T21:50:23Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Is America the only nation that names its food after other countries? No, I think that happens everywhere - so in the UK, we have things like [French Mustard](https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=260691658) and [American ginger ale](https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=255877182). (and its worth noting that products so named, don’t necessarily always resemble anything actually from the named country). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/27 "2017-03-05T22:21:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > … > (and its worth noting that products so named, don’t necessarily always resemble anything actually from the named country). Well at least the US & UK people agree on something! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/28 "2017-03-05T22:30:47Z")
Thanks for the pics, **Enola Gay**. I have been wondering what Americans mean by Canadian bacon for a while now. FWIW, in Australia, ‘bacon’ means the streaky, fatty bit attached to the round, meaty bit in one piece; you buy it all together. You can get ‘short-cut’ bacon, which has much less of the fatty strip, but still at least some. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/29 "2017-03-05T22:45:34Z")
Brit living in US: I have never been able to find rashers of back bacon in the U.S. I have no idea what happens to that part of the pig here. All that seems to exit is rashers of what’s called in the U.K. “streaky bacon” (just called “bacon” in the U.S.), and the highly processed circles that do not exist in the U.K. outside MacDonalds, and are known in the U.S. as Canadian Bacon. I have never encountered these circles of “Canadian Bacon” with peameal. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/30 "2017-03-06T00:08:10Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > They call it beh?con. > > I’ve never seen peameal in the US I’ve never heard of peameal before this thread. I’ve learned something. I’m not sure it’s useful, though. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/31 "2017-03-06T00:13:45Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > We call it back bacon. Back Bacon…? Oh, Canada… You Mean… … [Baby Got Back](http://mtv.tumblr.com/post/117719248875/happy-international-dance-day-gif-by-yogopanda)…? :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/32 "2017-03-06T00:45:06Z")
I’m waiting for a Canadian to ask "What do Americans call Kraft Canadian Slices? [https://www.chowstatic.com/uploads/8/8/3/1309388\_image149.jpg](https://www.chowstatic.com/uploads/8/8/3/1309388_image149.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/33 "2017-03-06T01:12:15Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I’m waiting for a Canadian to ask "What do Americans call Kraft Canadian Slices? > > [https://www.chowstatic.com/uploads/8/8/3/1309388\_image149.jpg](https://www.chowstatic.com/uploads/8/8/3/1309388_image149.jpg) That’s almost the same as asking us what is “Kraft Dinner.” Actually the only thing I’ve not heard of in this thread is “gammon.” Looks like ham, even though Wikipedia says the timing is different. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/34 "2017-03-06T01:41:16Z")
This reminds me of the **That '70s Show** episode where the guys can’t think of anything else to say and eventually ask a Canadian _hey, when you guys get change back, does an American coin just happen to be in there every once in a while?_ ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/35 "2017-03-06T03:03:41Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > What Canadians call “American cheese” we call “back cheese”. Back cheese?? That sounds even more repulsive than peameal :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/36 "2017-03-06T03:22:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I learned it was called “back bacon” from Bob and Doug MacKenzie. > > \*������On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me > > Four pounds of back bacon, > Three French toast, > Two turtlenecks, > And a beeeer in a treeeeee.������\* > > 😃 Bob and Doug is where I learned it too! And touque! > [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Is America the only nation that names its food after other countries? > > French toast, French dressing, Swedish meatballs, Spanish rice, Israeli couscous, Italian ice, Irish coffee. > > Maybe we as a country lack creativity. No, we’re just proper academics and cite things properly! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/37 "2017-03-06T03:34:39Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The French call them “pomme frites”, as do the Germans funnily enough. > > \*"pomme de terre is French for potato. Which is somewhat problematic, because “_pomme_” is French for “apple”, so “_pomme frites_” could mean fried apples. I suspect that they usually just call them “_frites_”, which is what Americans call them most of the time anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/38 "2017-03-06T15:33:19Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Which is somewhat problematic, because “_pomme_” is French for “apple”, so “_pomme frites_” could mean fried apples. I suspect that they usually just call them “_frites_”, which is what Americans call them most of the time anyway. Even more problematic is in German, you might simply ask for “Pommes”! ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/39 "2017-03-06T16:22:46Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Which is somewhat problematic, because “_pomme_” is French for “apple”, so “_pomme frites_” could mean fried apples. I suspect that they usually just call them “_frites_”, which is what Americans call them most of the time anyway. Well, I think they often do call them “frites” because it’s easier not because of any chance of confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483/40 "2017-03-06T16:25:46Z")
There is a great picture on [this page](https://www.thepauperedchef.com/article/a-guide-to-bacon-styles-and-how-to-make-proper-british-rashers)that will help visualize the differences between American (streaky), Canadian (back bacon) and British bacon (rashers). The third picture down gives the best view. American bacon is pork belly and is taken from the fatty part of the pig’s midsection (the part on the left side of the photo). What we in the US call Canadian bacon is taken from the lean meat above the pork belly (that portion on the right of the photo). In the US this is called “pork loin” or “pork roast” and is commonly served similar to [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=pork+loin&rlz=1C2CHFX_enUS688&biw=2133&bih=1194&tbm=isch&imgil=lSApEKhgmfCMoM%253A%253Bcd0CseqTnaEFXM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.porkbeinspired.com%25252Frecipes%25252Fboneless-pork-loin-roast-with-herbed-pepper-rub%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=lSApEKhgmfCMoM%253A%252Ccd0CseqTnaEFXM%252C_&usg=__53FJBSAxIulYW_dFT4pXQndgqFk%3D#imgrc=lSApEKhgmfCMoM:). British rashers are sliced in such a way as to include both parts, the lean loin and the fatty belly (the 6th picture down). And so concludes Bacon 101. Please clean your drool before you leave. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-what-do-you-call-canadian-bacon/781483.md?page=3)