Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

bacon the side of a pig cured with salt in a single piece. The word originally meant pork of any type, fresh or cured, but this older usage had died out by the 17th century.

Bacon, in the modern sense, is peculiarly a product of the British Isles, or is produced abroad to British methods, specifically for the British market. denmark is the leader in this field. In Britain itself, many regional variations on cuts and cures for bacon exist. It was formerly sold by cheesemongers, rather than butchers, and the association is still maintained in some shops.