Bacon hails from the underside of a pig, or its loin, and is sold fresh, cured or smoked. 
After that, almost anything goes. Its close cousins are pancetta, Irish bacon, Canadian bacon, spiced bacon, exotically smoked bacon or fatback.
Our own guilty bacon pleasure is crisp jalapeno bacon dipped into warm bittersweet chocolate. It’s yummy!
Bacon is one of few fats which Americans actually seek out for its unique sweetness and not trim its fat and discard it. Bacon can be thin, thick, smoky, salty, hearty, meaty, mapley, chewy or crispy. Yes, it is forbidden fat, but it is protein, too! It is also salty, but a few grinds of fresh black peppercorns helps us forget. Bacon also dalliances very so delicately between savory and sweets, mingling so well with newcomers like maple, chocolate, caramel with salt and cinnamon.
These days, bacon keeps frequent company with these. Continue reading
