# Is there a universal definition of "bacon"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356 "2017-12-26T21:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/1 "2017-12-26T21:52:36Z")
Recently discovered that British\* Bacon is different from both Canadian Bacon, and American Bacon. So, is there a definition of bacon that matches the different foods bearing this moniker? \*picture a thin slice of boneless pork chop (about the thickness of what gets labelled as “thick cut” bacon in the US), and you’ll have a good sense of the monstrosity Brits defile the name of bacon with. I suspect this is revenge for the cheese fiasco. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/2 "2017-12-26T22:13:11Z")
Broadly, it seems to be “cured pork meat.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/3 "2017-12-26T22:27:43Z")
For the record, no one in Canada uses the term “Canadian Bacon.” No one. We also don’t say “American Cheese.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/4 "2017-12-26T22:35:03Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > Recently discovered that British\* Bacon is different from both Canadian Bacon, and American Bacon. So, is there a definition of bacon that matches the different foods bearing this moniker? > > \*picture a thin slice of boneless pork chop (about the thickness of what gets labelled as “thick cut” bacon in the US), and you’ll have a good sense of the monstrosity Brits defile the name of bacon with. I suspect this is revenge for the cheese fiasco. It is? That’s not how I remember it. [Bacon](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jul/27/water-in-bacon-new-rasher-regulations), from a reputable British news source. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/5 "2017-12-26T22:44:03Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > [Bacon](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jul/27/water-in-bacon-new-rasher-regulations) That there is “streaky bacon”. [This is more typical of British bacon.](https://www.thepauperedchef.com/photos/images/2010/04/back-bacon.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/6 "2017-12-26T22:49:24Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > It is? That’s not how I remember it. > > [Bacon](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jul/27/water-in-bacon-new-rasher-regulations), from a reputable British news source. That’s what we call streaky bacon. The most common British bacon is back bacon, and there’s also middle bacon, which I don’t see quite as often. They’re all good, but a good smoked back bacon done near-crispy, with the fat attached, is pretty much peak bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/7 "2017-12-26T22:51:10Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > That there is “streaky bacon”. [This is more typical of British bacon.](https://www.thepauperedchef.com/photos/images/2010/04/back-bacon.jpg) That’s what we call peameal bacon. Or, back bacon occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/8 "2017-12-26T22:56:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > For the record, no one in Canada uses the term “Canadian Bacon.” > > No one. Makes perfect sense. It’s kinda like how no one says “Chinese food” in China. It’s just…food. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/9 "2017-12-26T23:35:18Z")
thinly sliced cut of cured/smoked pork, pan/griddle fried until some degree of crispy. done. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/10 "2017-12-27T00:29:52Z")
Sorry, but there is no requirement for bacon to be “crispy” - I much prefer a meaty thick-cut piece of back or middle bacon fried soft, for the perfect bacon roll (with HP Sauce, natch). The crisp wafers of streaky bacon that I get in America is a betrayal of cured pork products. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/11 "2017-12-27T00:36:03Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > Sorry, but there is no requirement for bacon to be “crispy” - I much prefer a meaty thick-cut piece of back or middle bacon fried soft, for the perfect bacon roll (with HP Sauce, natch). Personal preference and all that, but two or three rashers, a fried egg with a runny yolk, and a dab of Colman’s mustard, is the perfect bacon roll. > [@](#): > > The crisp wafers of streaky bacon that I get in America is a betrayal of cured pork products. They have their place. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/12 "2017-12-27T00:38:08Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Personal preference and all that, but two or three rashers, \ For the Merricuns, please define “rasher.” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/13 "2017-12-27T00:40:37Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > thinly sliced cut of cured/smoked pork, pan/griddle fried until some degree of crispy. > > done. Except, I could take a thinly sliced piece of country ham, and fry it but it would in no way be a form of bacon. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/14 "2017-12-27T00:42:39Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > For the Merricuns, please define “rasher.” Wikipedia indicates that, in the UK and Ireland, a rasher is “a thin slice of bacon.” > **[Bacon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon#United_Kingdom_and_Ireland)** > > Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the BLT sandwich), or as a flavouring or accent. Regular bacon consumption is associated with increased mortality and other health concerns. > Bacon is also used for barding and larding roasts, especially game, including venison and pheasant, and may also be used to insulate or flavour roast j... ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/15 "2017-12-27T00:51:17Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > For the Merricuns, please define “rasher.” Slice? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/16 "2017-12-27T01:12:48Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Personal preference and all that, but two or three rashers, a fried egg with **a runny yolk** , and a dab of Colman’s mustard, is the perfect bacon roll. Communist. I can find back bacon at the local Vons, so we always have it on hand when the need for a proper fry-up or EBCB arises. But Neuske’s is a perfectly cromulent substitute for colonials. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/17 "2017-12-27T01:19:36Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Communist. That’s yokes not yolks, comrade. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/18 "2017-12-27T01:45:15Z")
The traditional method of making bacon in Britain is to cure, and optionally smoke, an entire side of pork. This naturally means that the cut is irrelevant in defining bacon – it’s the method of preservation that’s important. The exception, in British usage, is the hind leg: if cured as part of the rest of the carcass, it’s gammon; if cured separately, it’s ham. (Traditionally, that is: nowadays, the distinction seems to be that gammon is sold cured, but uncooked, while ham is sold cured and cooked.) I don’t know why Americans chose to only make bacon from belly pork, but they’re missing out on some tasty culinary options, if you ask me, which you didn’t, but I’m telling you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/19 "2017-12-27T02:06:08Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > That’s what we call streaky bacon. The most common British bacon is back bacon, and there’s also middle bacon, which I don’t see quite as often. They’re all good, but a good smoked back bacon done near-crispy, with the fat attached, is pretty much peak bacon. Streaky bacon and back bacon are both bacon, aren’t they? That’s why they’ve both got “bacon” in the name. ---
**Author:** ![GinoC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f4b2a3/32.png) [@GinoC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GinoC)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356/20 "2017-12-27T02:14:30Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Makes perfect sense. It’s kinda like how no one says “Chinese food” in China. It’s just…food. Except that what Americans seem to call Canadian bacon looks pretty much like ham to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-universal-definition-of-bacon/805356.md?page=2)