On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This article is about the meat. Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. Bacon is also used for barding and larding roasts, especially game, including venison and pheasant, and may also be used to insulate or bacon wrapped asparagus in the air fryer roast joints by being layered onto the meat.

Before the advent of cheap and widespread artificial refrigeration in the modern era, the curing of meat was necessary for its safe long-term preservation. Bacon is cured through either a process of injecting it with or soaking it in brine, known as wet curing, or rubbed with salt, known as dry curing. Bacon is distinguished from other salt-cured pork by differences in the cuts of meat used and in the brine or dry packing. Historically, the terms “ham” and “bacon” referred to different cuts of meat that were brined or packed identically, often together in the same barrel.

For safety, bacon may be treated to prevent trichinosis, caused by Trichinella, a parasitic roundworm which can be destroyed by heating, freezing, drying, or smoking. Bacon type differs depending on the primal cut of pork from which it is prepared, which reflects local preference. Side bacon, sometimes known as “streaky bacon”, comes from the pork belly. It has long alternating layers of fat and muscle running parallel to the rind.

Back bacon contains meat from the loin in the middle of the back of the pig. It is a leaner cut, with less fat compared to side bacon. Collar bacon is taken from the back of a pig near the head. Cottage bacon is made from the lean meat from a boneless pork shoulder that is typically tied into an oval shape. Jowl bacon is cured and smoked cheeks of pork.

Guanciale is an Italian jowl bacon that is seasoned and dry cured but not smoked. The inclusion of skin with a cut of bacon, known as the ‘bacon rind’, varies, though is less common in the English-speaking world. The most common form sold is middle bacon, which includes some of the streaky, fatty section of side bacon along with a portion of the loin of back bacon. In response to increasing consumer diet-consciousness, some supermarkets also offer the loin section only. Roasted peameal bacon with a maple glaze at the St.

Lawrence Market in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In Canada, the term bacon on its own typically refers to side bacon. Canadian-style back bacon is a lean cut from the eye of the pork loin with little surrounding fat. Some of the meanings of bacon overlap with the German-language term Speck. They are used for adding flavour to soups and salads and for Speck dumplings and various noodle and potato dishes. It is cured and smoked belly meat as in the US, and is sold in either regular or half-length sizes. Bacon in Japan is different from that in the US in that the meat is not sold raw, but is processed, precooked and has a ham-like consistency when cooked.

Back bacon is the most common form in the UK and Ireland, and is the usual meaning of the plain term “bacon”. Heavily trimmed back cuts which consist of just the eye of meat, known as a medallion, are also available. All types may be unsmoked or smoked. Fried or grilled bacon rashers are included in the “traditional” full breakfast.