Bacon

American vs British

American “bacon” is streaky — cured pork belly with prominent fat bands, sliced thin and fried crisp. British “bacon” is typically back bacon — leaner, taken from pork loin, larger pieces. Continental Europe has yet other forms: Italian pancetta (cured pork belly, often unsmoked), German speck (smoked, often eaten raw), French lardons (small cubes for cooking).

A British cooked breakfast and an American breakfast both feature “bacon” — they’re not really the same product.

The nitrite question

Most commercial bacon is cured with sodium nitrite, which gives the characteristic pink color and prevents botulism. Nitrite-free or “uncured” bacon typically uses celery powder — which is naturally high in nitrates that convert to nitrites during curing. The chemistry ends up similar.

The WHO classified processed meat (including bacon) as Group 1 carcinogenic in 2015. The risk is real but moderate — eating one bacon strip daily increases colorectal cancer risk roughly 20% relative to baseline.

A flavor weapon

Bacon’s distinctive smoky-salty-fatty flavor profile has become a fashionable American flavor accent since the 2000s — bacon jam, bacon donuts, bacon ice cream, bacon-wrapped everything. The trend reflects bacon’s high concentration of glutamates and Maillard reaction compounds — flavors that read instantly as “rich and savory” to most palates.