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More than a recent trend, this meat transcends time and continents.

BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON

once upon a time, bacon wasn’t an integral part of international cuisine. During those barren days many centuries ago, the irresistible delight of bacon didn’t exist as we know it today and that perfect pair “bacon ’n eggs” consisted of nothing but... eggs!

But from whence did the glorious idea of bacon originate? In what burst of brilliance did the concept of a cured pork product occur? Let’s explore the history of our favorite meat product.

The Early Days of Bacon

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “bacon” dates to the 14th century and can be defined as “meat from the back and sides of a pig.” It is said to be an Old French word derived from the Proto-Germanic “bakkon” meaning “back meat.” The related word “flitch” refers to a “side of bacon” and is said to date from 13th century Middle English, which indicates that the consumption of bacon in Europe predates the 13th century.

But long before the word “bacon” existed, the Chinese were curing and preserving pork as early as 1500 B.C., while another precursor to bacon — a dish called petaso — was regularly eaten in the Roman Empire. “Thousands of years ago, bacon came about as a food simply as a survival tactic,” says Heather Lauer, author of “Bacon: A Love Story” (William Morrow). “People needed the ability to preserve meat and out of that was born the best meat ever.”

Bacon drips with history and has been eaten by different cultures through many centuries.

According to Alan Davidson’s “Oxford Companion to Food” (Oxford University Press), the word “bacon” was originally a generic term for any type of pork. By the 17th century, the word was reserved for its current (and more specific) definition.

As early interest in bacon grew, so did the focus on raising pigs with the characteristics to produce the best bacon. In Joseph Harris’ 1883 book “Harris on the Pig” (reprinted by Lyons Press in 1999), he notes that the cross of the Berkshire pig with the Tamworth pig produces “the most profitable bacon pigs in the kingdom, [with] the Berkshire blood giving an extraordinary tendency to feed, and securing the early maturity in which alone the Tamworth breed is deficient.” (Elsewhere in his book, Harris adds that “A wellcooked cheek of bacon, with roast chicken, is a dish for an epicure.”)

Lauer notes that as other methods for preserving food became available in modern times, the relevance of bacon became driven more by flavor. “It just tastes good and it binds us together as a culture in a lot of ways,” she says, “whether simply as a breakfast food or more unusually through the various ways in which it has become a ‘trend’ in recent years. It’s unlikely that the people who originally figured out how to cure bacon could have imagined someone would one day dip it in chocolate!”

TRUE OR FALSE: It’s recorded that people have I been raising pigs in China as a food source since 7000 B.C.

ANSWER: True. The oldest known recipe for pork, suckling pig stuffed with dates, comes from 500 B.C. China.

Bringin’ Home the Bacon

For centuries, the relative ease of pig-keeping meant that farmers had the opportunity to use bacon as an inexpensive way to feed their families, and in the United States during the 1800s and early 1900s, pork (including bacon) outranked beef as the most commonly eaten meat. Raising, processing and preserving one’s own bacon was as economical as it was nourishing.

The first commercial bacon-processing facility was established by John Harris in 18th century England, and commercially produced bacon began to take off in the United States during the early 20th century. Advertisements from the era indicate a movement that encouraged housewives to cook with commercially produced bacon. “An easy economy — a side of Premium bacon,” boasts one 1922 ad from Swift’s Premium Hams and Bacon, while a 1930 ad references the “evenly proportioned” balance of “fat and lean” along with the “sanitary wrappings” in which the bacon was sold.

Despite its worldwide popularity and its long and impressive history, the appearance, flavor and style of modern-day bacon varies by geographic location. “The bacon that we know in the United States is actually quite different from the bacon you find in England and other parts of the world,” Lauer says. “American bacon comes from the belly, but in other countries it’s usually from the loin or sometimes also the shoulder. Loin bacon is much leaner, but it’s still that tasty combination of sweet and salty flavors that happens in the curing process that makes it delicious. And I think it’s complementary to a lot of different cuisines — there aren’t many foods that can’t be improved with bacon.”

When you cure and smoke pork at home, you join a centuries-old tradition.

Once you’ve perfected the standard uses for bacon, try it in less traditional ways — such as covered in chocolate!

Bacon Today

Today, bacon is more popular than ever, as evidenced by the “bacon mania” that has taken hold of America over the past several years. According to a report on bacon trends released by National Pork Board in Des Moines, Iowa, “Over half of all households (53%) report that they always have bacon on hand in the kitchen (2005),” and “overall bacon consumption has remained stable over time. It is consumed an average of 18 times per person per year.” Nowadays, consumers are most likely to enjoy bacon as part of a breakfast meal, and 75 percent consume bacon “as-is” rather than as an ingredient in a dish.

“I think you could argue bacon is at its peak popularity these days, although I would never call it a ‘trend’ — something that has been around for thousands of years isn’t a trend,” Lauer says. “The difference now is the Internet.

“Before the Internet, love of bacon was discussed in private and occasionally on television,” she adds. “Now it’s so easy for us to share our love of bacon with friends and strangers alike through blogs and social media… Due to the nature of social media, that has led to a contest of sorts to see who can do the craziest thing with bacon and get attention for it.”

Lauer adds that the increased number of restaurants that offer “bacon-centric” promotional activities stem from marketing teams that saw the rising interest in all things bacon. “And as a result, bacon has become a ‘trend’ that won’t die,” she adds. “It’s just too good for us to let that happen.”

Samantha Johnson is the author of several books, including “The Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping” (Voyageur Press). She lives on a former dairy farm in northern Wisconsin with a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Peaches, and she writes frequently about pets, gardening and food: http://samanthajohnson.contently.com