Bacon Category

Bacon is a very fatty slab taken from the underside of a pig. The bacon sold in markets is usually cured and smoked, but it's also possible to buy uncured fresh bacon = pork belly = side pork. Smoked bacon is often fried and served with eggs or in sandwiches, or it's sometimes wrapped around lean meats to keep them moist while they're cooking.

This is soy protein that's flavored to taste like bacon. It's cheaper and lower in fat than real bacon.

Canadian bacon tastes like ham and is much leaner than American bacon. It's made from pork loin that's been smoked and cured. Note that Irish bacon is also sometimes called back bacon.

This is a slab of fat that runs along the back of a pig. You can render it into lard, cut it into barding strips to wrap around lean roasts, or use it to line terrine or pâté pans. It you're cutting it into sheets, it helps to put it in the freezer first until it's firm. It's also sometimes cured like bacon. It's hard to find, ask your butcher.

Guanciale is a cured pork product that's similar to pancetta, except it's made from the pork jowl rather than the belly. As a result, guanciale is much fattier, which allows it lend a richer, more buttery flavor to Italian sauces.

This Hungarian specialty consists of a slab of bacon that's been roasted and then seasoned with paprika. It's then cut into thin slices and served on rye bread. Look for it in German or Hungarian markets.

This is a lot leaner than American bacon. Note that Canadian bacon also is sometimes called back bacon.

Pancetta is the Italian counterpart to our bacon. It's cured, but not smoked, and it's often used to give a subtle salty flavor to pasta sauces. Deli counters often carry cylinders of it, and slice it to order.

This is a salt-cured chunk of fat that comes from pork bellies. It's used in much the same way as bacon, though salt pork is fattier and not smoked.

Tocino is Spanish for bacon, but in the Philippines, it refers to cured pork that's been marinated in a sweet red sauce. Look for it in Asian markets.

Different brands of turkey bacon have wildly different amounts of fat, but most have much less fat than ordinary bacon. The flavor suffers a bit, though.

Many meat analogs are disappointing, but some variations on vegetarian bacon are surprisingly tasty. See the recipes for Vegan Bacon, Tempeh Bacon, or Tofu Bacon posted on www.vegweb.com.