# Is there a scientific reason that bacon is so delicious? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906 "2009-06-06T04:12:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Seventh\_Deadly\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6bbea6/32.png) [@The\_Seventh\_Deadly\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Seventh_Deadly_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/1 "2009-06-06T04:12:13Z")
I understand that from an evolutionary standpoint, it’s smart to like calorie-dense foods; they fatten you up so you’ll survive the coming famine. But by this logic, lard should be just as delicious as bacon, and it’s not. (It is a tasty ingredient in lots of things, but it’s not as good as bacon.) Anyone know why? Scientifically speaking? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/2 "2009-06-06T04:16:32Z")
Anything with a lot of salt and fat is going to taste good. Bacon has astoundingly high amounts of both. There’s also that savoury taste that you can really only get from meat. But any meat loaded down with salt and fat is going to taste pretty good. That’s why fast food consists mostly of meat loaded with salt and fat. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/3 "2009-06-06T05:16:56Z")
Yes, but what _exactly_ is ‘bacon taste?’ Is it just concentrated umami? There is no question that it can be duplicated from vegetable sources, as anybody who has ever eaten artificial bacon bits realizes. I’ve also been told that if you bake mushrooms to a crisp, they taste just like bacon. Mushrooms are a [concentrated source](http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=mushrooms+umami&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=mushrooms+umami&aqi=&fp=2Inaafc1UxE) of umami flavor, so there must be some sort of relation between the two. On the other hand, simply sprinkling [MSG](http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/27/9/845) on food does not make it taste like bacon. In fact the second link above suggests that there is some sort of interrelationship between glutamic acid salts, peptides, and other components of food that combine to create distinct flavor profiles. So what, chemically, is ‘bacon taste?’ ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/4 "2009-06-06T05:27:48Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > So what, chemically, is ‘bacon taste?’ The first thing to realise is that most taste isn’t taste. Its smell. Bacon has a meaty, salty flavour, that’s it. The rest of what you’re getting is the odour of the bacon. And that’s very complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/5 "2009-06-06T14:55:45Z")
I am appalled at the OP’s question. It’s BACON. That’s the reason. It’s an answer within itself. Why does one breath? Because not breathing = death! Why does one eat bacon? Because not eating bacon =\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Give you a hint: first letter is B! ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/6 "2009-06-06T15:53:35Z")
I think part of the reason is bacon is smoked and smoked foods are just plain delicious… They have that awesome earthy flavor to them that brings out the primitive, wood-burning side in people I’d think. Combine that with the salty, fattiness and I think it’s a winning combination. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/7 "2009-06-06T16:06:54Z")
The first ingredient in bacon (after the meat) is salt. The second ingredient is sugar. And the bacon is usually smoked. When cooked the sugar partially carmelizes, and with the salt and smoke flavor you end up with the complex flavor we love. Salt and sugar are used in curing meat because they lower the water activity. Foods with lower water activity can retain a higher level of moisture without spoilage. This is why there are high levels of added sodium and sugar in processed food. > **[Water activity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_activity)** > > Water activity (aw) is the partial vapor pressure of water in a solution divided by the standard state partial vapor pressure of water. In the field of food science, the standard state is most often defined as pure water at the same temperature. Using this particular definition, pure distilled water has a water activity of exactly one. Water activity is the thermodynamic activity of water as solvent and the relative humidity of the surrounding air after equilibration. As temperature increases, aw... ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/8 "2009-06-06T16:13:33Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Anything with a lot of salt and fat is going to taste good. Bacon has astoundingly high amounts of both. > > There’s also that savoury taste that you can really only get from meat. But any meat loaded down with salt and fat is going to taste pretty good. That’s why fast food consists mostly of meat loaded with salt and fat. A Big Mac has 540 calories. It has two 1.6 ounce beef patties, which according to Fitday contribute 177.5 calories. That means that fewer than a third of the calories in a Big Mac come from the meat. A Big Mac Value Meal has 1177 calories, 15% of which come from meat. Fast food consists mainly of starch and sugar. The meat is just a delivery system. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/9 "2009-06-06T16:30:26Z")
_But by this logic, lard should be just as delicious as bacon, and it’s not. (It is a tasty ingredient in lots of things, but it’s not as good as bacon.)_ I think you are projecting a wisdom on evolution that simply isnt there. Why isnt lard tasty? Did humans have access to large amounts on lard as opposed to meat? Are there detriments to eating a lard only diet? etc. Considering fatty meats are almost universally loved, then I think its safe to say that we like lard. Not to mention taste is subjective. Im sure youre disgusted by eating lard or cooked up fat, but a Mongolian nomad might not be. He might even spit up chocolate as being disgusting and bitter. Personally, I dislike bacon and it bothers me that restaurants casually toss it on burgers and salads. This is the problem with generalizations. I think all you can say is that people will gravitate towards calorie rich foods if given the choice. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/10 "2009-06-06T16:55:41Z")
Vaguely-related article in this week’s NYT’s Dining section: [Bringing Flavor Back to the Ham](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/dining/03curi.html?_r=1&ref=dining). > [@Harold McGee](#): > > I recently tasted dry-cured hams from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Iowa, and some rival Europe’s best. Their makers are variously determined to revive country ham and to develop American versions of European classics. They have made significant progress by rediscovering the ingredients that made dry-cured ham so good in the first place, when pigs were fattened on the autumn harvest and their meat preserved for scarcer times. > > Above all there’s the pig, which should be mature, well fed and free to run around. Muscles of such an animal are packed with the raw materials for creating flavor, enzymes that will catalyze the first stage of that creation, and fat to lend tenderness and moistness. > > Then there’s time. It takes many months for muscle enzymes to break down flavorless proteins into savory amino acids, odorless fats into aromatic fragments, and for all these chemical bits and pieces to interact and generate new layers of flavor. And it takes months for meat to lose moisture and develop a density of flavor and texture. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/11 "2009-06-06T17:05:33Z")
> [@ghardester](#): > > The first ingredient in bacon (after the meat) is salt. The second ingredient is sugar. Look no further. Fat, salt, sugar. Survival in solid form. The stuff is designed to shortcircuit your pleasure centers to your survival centers. It is like those sweet chicken concoctions on food court joints of every possible cuisine. Fat, salt and sugar meant to hit your brain more than your taste buds. Even when they taste atrociously (almost always, that is), you want more. Which is why they have someone handing it out. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/12 "2009-06-06T17:24:57Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Look no further. Fat, salt, sugar. Survival in solid form. The stuff is designed to shortcircuit your pleasure centers to your survival centers. > > It is like those sweet chicken concoctions on food court joints of every possible cuisine. Fat, salt and sugar meant to hit your brain more than your taste buds. Even when they taste atrociously (almost always, that is), you want more. Which is why they have someone handing it out. Taking it a bit further. Claire Robinson on the Food Network. [Maple Candied Bacon](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/maple-candied-bacon-recipe/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/13 "2009-06-06T23:46:51Z")
It’s the carcinogens. Nature wants you to get cancer, so it tastes irresistible. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/14 "2009-06-07T04:54:53Z")
I suspect the flavor of bacon is a combination of a few things: [ul] [li]The taste of pork[/li][li]The fat content (mouthfeel, taste)[/li][li]The salt level[/li][li]Flavors created by the curing process[/li][li]Smoke flavor & other flavors created by the smoking process[/li][li]Last but by no means least, Maillard reaction products from browning the bacon.[/li][/ul] I suspect that the last 3 are the real differentiators of what you think of as bacon flavor, as opposed to that of a chunk of fatty pork boiled in salty water. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/15 "2009-06-07T07:13:36Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > The first thing to realise is that most taste isn’t taste. Its smell. Bacon has a meaty, salty flavour, that’s it. The rest of what you’re getting is the odour of the bacon. And that’s very complicated. And fat tends to absorb a great deal of taste/smell compounds…and release them during eating. MMMMM…bacon. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/16 "2009-06-07T07:36:24Z")
It might do. Kids in the UK used to eat “dripping” sandwiches. My dad certainly did in the '40s and '50s. This is unpurified fat that dripped off the Sunday roast (usually beef), kept congealed in the larder or fridge, and spread on bread. While the idea grosses me out, I tried it once out of curiosity and it was delicious - salty and meaty and savory. Lard is purified, so it lacks the things in pig fat that would likely make it nommy. I am sure that the fat from a roast pig, collected in a similar way, would be equally delightful, if presented on a ‘neutral’ base like bread. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/17 "2009-06-07T15:42:54Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > It might do. > > Kids in the UK used to eat “dripping” sandwiches. My dad certainly did in the '40s and '50s. This is unpurified fat that dripped off the Sunday roast (usually beef), kept congealed in the larder or fridge, and spread on bread. > > While the idea grosses me out, I tried it once out of curiosity and it was delicious - salty and meaty and savory. > > Lard is purified, so it lacks the things in pig fat that would likely make it nommy. I am sure that the fat from a roast pig, collected in a similar way, would be equally delightful, if presented on a ‘neutral’ base like bread. Freshly rendered lard does have a noticeable porky taste to it. In Hungary, there’s still a common bar snack – pretty much omnipresent in your standard corner pub – known as _zsiros kenyér_ (“fatty bread”), which is a thick slice of spread, slathered with lard and onions, and sprinkled with salt. I think it’s quite nommy even without all the curing and smoking involved in bacon fat. But, yeah, like your father, my Polish father used to save fat drippings from anything from anything from bacon to chicken to roasts, and put it in the fridge to congeal (basically, making schmaltz.) It could be used later in cooking (as a base for frying) or used as a bread spread. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/18 "2009-06-07T17:47:05Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > It might do. > > Kids in the UK used to eat “dripping” sandwiches. My dad certainly did in the '40s and '50s. This is unpurified fat that dripped off the Sunday roast (usually beef), kept congealed in the larder or fridge, and spread on bread. > > While the idea grosses me out, I tried it once out of curiosity and it was delicious - salty and meaty and savory. > > Lard is purified, so it lacks the things in pig fat that would likely make it nommy. I am sure that the fat from a roast pig, collected in a similar way, would be equally delightful, if presented on a ‘neutral’ base like bread. This was commonplace well into the 80s, at least up north… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/19 "2009-06-07T23:24:02Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Taking it a bit further. > Claire Robinson on the Food Network. > > [Maple Candied Bacon](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/maple-candied-bacon-recipe/index.html) Eeeewwwww…but that’s not [the worst](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/chocolate-covered-bacon-with-almonds-recipe/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906/20 "2009-06-07T23:50:12Z")
> [@blake](#): > > that’s why fast food consists mostly of meat loaded with salt and fat. fakeon ! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-reason-that-bacon-is-so-delicious/498906.md?page=2)