Description

Bacon is a sort of salt-cured pork meat that generally happens to be a cut from the pork belly and pork back. It is generally a thinly sliced strips of meat and fat, where the meat is reddish-pink in colour, with the fat being a bit translucent. The fat runs parallel to the rind and this alignment happens to be a major reason for its tantalising flavour. It is mostly eaten on its own, in fact, it is often consumed as a side dish in breakfast, or is used as a  flavour enhancer in sandwiches, salads, pasta, etc. Bacon can be made with any kind of meat, similarly, a turkey meat can also be salt-cured in the same fashion, the same goes with pheasant, venison, etc, therefore, these are more prominent amongst community those are forbidden the consumption of pork meat. Likewise, for vegetarians and vegans, there are soy bacon. It is found in almost every corner of the world. Under the very process of its production, the meat is soaked in salt, nitrate and at times sugar solution, and smoked before being cooked. The fat in the bacon is the real flavour provider and is also the reason for its crispy yet tender texture.

Health benefits

Bacon surprisingly adds health benefits, if consumed in proper moderation

• Bacon does not contain trans fat, which supposedly is very harmful for health. Interestingly, bacon has less cholesterol and fat, when compared to popular cuts of chicken and beef. And as it has a high protein to fat content of any meat, therefore is recommendable to consume after workout.⁽¹⁾
• It is a known fact that choline helps protect the heart from damage and disease. Nonetheless, bacon is believed to be a great help in healing the heart and other organs in the body due to the presence of choline. The presence of choline also adds to the development of the brain. Choline improves fetal brain development if consumed on a regular basis during pregnancy, but in moderation. Moreover, its intake in a regularised and moderate manner is believed to keep old age mental complications like Alzheimer’s at bay.⁽¹⁾

Selection Guide

You can simply get them at the butcher’s end or at any supermarket. Bacons are mostly standard cut, which comes in steps are 1/16 of an inch. It often comes in two cuts, thick-cut and standard cut. At the time of purchase, one should look for the date of expiration, and if going for the tin stuff, then one should make sure that the tin should not be bloated.