National Bacon Day is celebrated on December 30th each year. Not to be confused with International Bacon Day, which occurs the Saturday before Labor Day, National Bacon Day is another day on which “meat candy” lovers can enjoy their favorite food. The holiday was created in 1997 as a way to take a break from celebrating the traditional winter holidays.
There’s nothing in this world that doesn’t taste better with Bacon. Whether it’s chocolate-covered bacon from the confectioner’s shop, bacon cheeseburgers, bacon-wrapped tater tots, or even bacon covered chapstick, you can’t deny that it’s a delicious tasty treat that’s truly gotten its fingers in everywhere.
The origins of Bacon stretches back into the middle ages, with the name originating in Middle English from the word “Bacoun”. Following it back you find it in France as Bako, Germany as Bakko, and old Teutonic as Backe. All of these words mean “back”, and what’s that tell us about Bacon? Piggy got back. But that’s not even the earliest example of bacon, the first bacon was known to come from the Romans and was known as ‘Petaso’.
Bacon has been a popular method of preserving meat and adding a delicious flavor to it by soaking it in a specialized brine. There were even certain breeds that were specially bred for their copious back meat, and those were the Yorkshire and Tamworth. But it wasn’t always just the back meat that was referred to as Bacon, at one time it referenced any kind of preserved pork, but that usage fell out of practice in the 17th Century.
- It is believed that bacon was first enjoyed in Central Asia about 10,000 years ago, not long after the domestication of wild pigs.
- Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto is credited with bringing pigs to the New World.
- Not all bacon is equal — in the United States, bacon is made from the pork belly. In other countries, the side and back cuts of pork are typically used.
- Bacon’s popularity is unwavering. Even with a focus on healthier eating nowadays, bacon remains one of the most popular food items in the U.S., generating billions of dollars in annual sales.
- Bacon isn’t just for breakfast. While breakfast remains a breakfast staple, bacon finds its way into other meals of the day, with bacon bits being sprinkled on salads and candied bacon being added to cocktails and ice cream.
