# What do you call an individual unit of bacon?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 8, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719 "2013-02-08T18:06:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/61 "2013-02-10T00:54:23Z")

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So in Australia does proper mean fake, or does bacon mean ham? 🙂

Seriously though…can you not get this in the US? It seems a butcher would sell it.

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**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/62 "2013-02-10T01:01:09Z")

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I call a unit of bacon a [beggin’ strip](https://www.google.com/search?q=beggin+strips&hl=en&tbo=d&rlz=1C1CHMZ_enUS305US306&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=vvAWUbvDD4qn0AG41oBg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1280&bih=653)

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**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:** [February 10, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/63 "2013-02-10T01:04:10Z")

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> [@yorick73](#):
>
> Seriously though…can you not get this in the US? It seems a butcher would sell it.

Not usually, no. (If we’re talking about the very hammy bacon upthread). That’s usually not something you’re going to find a butcher dealing with, anyway. That’s more a deli thing, as the meat is cured and smoked. There is a little crossover, yes, but I don’t find that cut of cured and smoked bacon around here.

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**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/64 "2013-02-10T01:07:23Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Not usually, no. (If we’re talking about the very hammy bacon upthread). That’s usually not something you’re going to find a butcher dealing with, anyway. That’s more a deli thing, as the meat is cured and smoked. There is a little crossover, yes, but I don’t find that cut of cured and smoked bacon around here.

I could have sworn I saw it in a grocery store around the DC area. I remember it being packed by the supermarket so I assume it was cut in the back. Of course, I’ve seen some other things in there that I consider strange for a chain grocery store (pork belly, country ham, organ meats)

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**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:** [February 10, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/65 "2013-02-10T01:12:45Z")

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> [@yorick73](#):
>
> I could have sworn I saw it in a grocery store around the DC area. I remember it being packed by the supermarket so I assume it was cut in the back. Of course, I’ve seen some other things in there that I consider strange for a chain grocery store (pork belly, country ham, organ meats)

I’m sure this is something that varies by locality. Around here, you’ll generally only find bacon made from belly, and Canadian bacon made from loin (which is more like a ham than a bacon.)

**njtt** ’s link goes to unsmoked back bacon, which looks to me more like something I might find in the deli cold cuts section by the prosciutto and things of that nature. That’s not really the type of meat I associate with “bacon,” though, from my American point-of-view. For me, it has to be cured _and_ smoked to be bacon, otherwise it’s just another cured pork product.

ETA: I am making the assumption that it is cured, based on its color. Otherwise, yeah, it’s just a really thin pork chop.

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**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/66 "2013-02-10T01:16:10Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I’m sure this is something that varies by locality. Around here, you’ll generally only find bacon made from belly, and Canadian bacon made from loin (which is more like a ham than a bacon.)
> 
> **njtt** ’s link goes to unsmoked back bacon, which looks to me more like something I might find in the deli cold cuts section by the prosciutto and things of that nature. That’s not really the type of meat I associate with “bacon,” though, from my American point-of-view. For me, it has to be cured _and_ smoked to be bacon, otherwise it’s just another cured pork product.
> 
> ETA: I am making the assumption that it is cured, based on its color. Otherwise, yeah, it’s just a really thin pork chop.

I seem to remember it being called back bacon on the label…which, if I am remembering correctly, is surprising. I know I have not seen it before but, like I said, there are a lot of strange meats in that meat department.

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**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/67 "2013-02-10T04:21:44Z")

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On reflection, I came to realize that I consistently use two different terms, in a sort of irregular plural. If I’m speaking of a single minimal unit of bacon, it is always a “piece”. If I’m referring to multiple units, I call them “strips”. I have no idea where this habit came from.

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**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/68 "2013-02-10T09:15:55Z")

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Back bacon is (obviously) cured, can be smoked, and is nothing like a pork chop. It also tastes of meat, unlike streaky bacon, which pretty much only tastes of the curing and smoking agents. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, of course.

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**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/69 "2013-02-10T09:41:18Z")

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I need an “Any of the above” option. I’d probably go with rasher.

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**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/70 "2013-02-10T11:14:47Z")

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Rasher. Scotland.

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/71 "2013-02-10T12:36:07Z")

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Another thing I’ve noticed about the back bacon I buy in Canada is that it invariably comes packed in very viscous liquid (presumably the curing agent). You have to cut open the bloody package over the sink and drain the fluid before you take the meat out, otherwise you make a horrible mess in the kitchen. (This is NOT true of either streaky bacon or so-called Canadian bacon.)

I’ve tried frying back bacon with eggs for breakfast, but I didn’t like it as much as either ham or Canadian bacon.\* What is lovely (I find) is cooking it slowly in the oven (covered tightly to keep it from drying out) and then slathering it with barbecue sauce and serving it on toasted buns with dill pickles and cole slaw. Yum-O! 😛

\*Nor was it as good as the rashers I’ve had in Great Britain.

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**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:** [February 10, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/72 "2013-02-10T15:33:38Z")

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> [@yorick73](#):
>
> I seem to remember it being called back bacon on the label…which, if I am remembering correctly, is surprising. I know I have not seen it before but, like I said, there are a lot of strange meats in that meat department.

My local supermarkets don’t carry it, but I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if a place like Whole Foods or Treasure Island (a local supermarket chain whose slogan is “America’s Most European Supermarket”) would have it. The only back bacon I’m used to seeing commonly around here is Canadian bacon, but it’s usually labeled as such.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/73 "2013-02-10T16:09:52Z")

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> [@Steophan](#):
>
> In the UK. The answer here is _rasher_, which refers to a single slice, of either back or streaky bacon. I didn’t realise it meant something else in the colonies…

it doesn’t mean something different here. It’s just that it doesn’t mean anything to most Americans at all. When the term _was_ used, it was used the same way you use it.

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**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/74 "2013-02-10T16:28:39Z")

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> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> it doesn’t mean something different here. It’s just that it doesn’t mean anything to most Americans at all. When the term _was_ used, it was used the same way you use it.

Huh, I’m sure a couple of people upthread said they’d seen it used to mean a serving of several pieces. Unless I misunderstood.

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**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:** [February 10, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/75 "2013-02-10T16:48:39Z")

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> [@Steophan](#):
>
> Huh, I’m sure a couple of people upthread said they’d seen it used to mean a serving of several pieces. Unless I misunderstood.

My experience with the term is the same as **elfkin** ’s. I am only familiar with “rasher” through UK usage. I’ve never heard an American English speaker use it contemporarily.

That said, it does appear, from what I gather, that “rasher” has been used in US English to refer to a serving of multiple slices of bacon. I am unfamiliar with that usage. It’s also possible that it’s still being used as a regional term.

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**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/76 "2013-02-10T17:07:27Z")

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What are these strips/slices/rashers you speak of?  
A single unit of bacon is the pound.

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**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/77 "2013-02-10T17:18:30Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> My experience with the term is the same as **elfkin** ’s. I am only familiar with “rasher” through UK usage. I’ve never heard an American English speaker use it contemporarily.
> 
> That said, it does appear, from what I gather, that “rasher” has been used in US English to refer to a serving of multiple slices of bacon. I am unfamiliar with that usage. It’s also possible that it’s still being used as a regional term.

I’m wondering if using “rasher” to mean multiple slices is “Menu-ese”. My experience of people who write restaurant menus is that they will happily glom onto any less-familiar or fancy-sounding word or phrase in an effort to persuade their customers that bacon, egg and chips is worth £25. Often with little regard for the actual meaning of the word (or general considerations of spelling, grammar, numeracy or basic common sense).

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/78 "2013-02-10T17:33:08Z")

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I’ve mostly encountered the word “rasher” in relation to provisioning for expeditions or in relation to an army or navy mess as an individual’s allowance of bacon. I’ve always associated the word with “ration”.

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**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:** [February 10, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/79 "2013-02-10T22:20:22Z")

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> [@terentii](#):
>
> The bacon you get in GB and, I believe Ireland, are fairly round in shape, with more pink meat in proportion to fat (as if they were cut from pork chops).

> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I believe British styles of bacon are usually back bacon made from a cut that has more loin to it.

In terms of retai, there’s no default ‘bacon’ in Britain - there’s streaky bacon, back bacon (which is what you’re describing and ‘middle’ bacon (which tends to be awkward rashers that fall apart during cooking). All three styles are typically sliced a little thicker than European or American bacon, and are seldom cooked to entirely-brittle crispness.

In a standard hotel, cafe or greasy spoon, you’re probably likely to be served back bacon, for some reason - so visitors tend to experience British bacon as you describe. Natives enjoy a wider choice.

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**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-an-individual-unit-of-bacon/649719/80 "2013-02-10T22:41:27Z")

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Once upon a time, I ordered a Big Breakfast at a MacDonalds. It included two pieces of bacon, each about a half inch wide and two inches long. I brought it back to the counter, and was told that, indeed, I had two slices of bacon, enjoy.

Technically, I suppose that was correct. However, at other McD’s I have received two real slices of bacon with the big breakfast. By real slices, I mean a slice three-quarters to an inch wide and 5 or six inches long.

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