Bacon
The most delicious part of a pig
A brief history
Roman Era
According to food historians, the Romans ate a type of bacon which they called petaso, which was essentially domesticated pig meat boiled with figs, then browned and seasoned with pepper sauce.1600's
Bacon, a relatively easy to produce and cheap meat source, becomes a staple for European peasants. Smoked Bacon is considered the highest quality.
1770's
John Harris, an Englishman, is credited as the forefather of large scale industrial bacon manufacturing. He opened his company in Wiltshire, still considered the bacon capital of the world.
1924
Oscar Mayer introduces pre-packaged, pre-sliced bacon to America.
1990's
Ordinary bacon is no longer enough to satisfy bacon lovers. Many varieties of bacon spin-offs appear, including Chicken-Fried Bacon and Bacone.
Bacon Facts
Bacon is one of the oldest cuts of meat in history; dating back to 1500 BC.
In the 16th Century, European peasants would proudly display the small amount of bacon they could afford.
The Yorkshire and Tamworth pigs are bred specifically for bacon.
70% of all bacon in the US is eaten at breakfast time.
More than 2 billion pounds of bacon is produced each year in the US.
- Until the first world war, bacon fat was the cooking fat of choice in most US households, when prepackaged pig lard became commonly available.