About National Bacon Day
Happy National Bacon Day! While some sources place it on the first Saturday of September, it's also widely celebrated on August 31st. The holiday was created in 2004 by a group of students from the University of Colorado Boulder.
There are very few foods that can incite the kind of passion and devotion that bacon does. That salty, savory, crispy, and sometimes chewy meat from a pig's belly is so beloved that it has spawned multiple holidays, including National Bacon Day, celebrated on August 31st. It's a day dedicated to enjoying all things bacon, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, or even dessert!
National Bacon Day
National Bacon Day, often referred to as International Bacon Day, is a modern holiday created in 2004 by a group of graduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder. They decided to establish a day for celebrating their favorite food on the Saturday before Labor Day to ensure it always falls on a weekend. While the exact date can vary from year to year, it’s a time when bacon lovers worldwide unite to indulge in this quintessential culinary treat.
Did you know? While most of the bacon eaten in the U.S. comes from the belly of a pig, what is known as Canadian bacon is actually made from the pig's loin.
Did you know? During World War II, American citizens were encouraged to donate bacon fat to the war effort, as the extracted glycerin could be used to create bombs.
Ways to Celebrate National Bacon Day
Celebrating National Bacon Day is simple and delicious! The most important rule is to enjoy bacon in all its glorious forms. Here are a few ways you can join in the festivities:
Have a Bacon Feast: Start your day with a classic bacon and eggs breakfast, then a BLT for lunch, and finish with a bacon-wrapped entrée for dinner. Don't forget to get creative and try bacon in new recipes!
Host a Bacon-Themed Party: Invite friends and family over for a potluck where every dish must feature bacon. Think bacon-wrapped jalapeños, bacon mac and cheese, or even chocolate-covered bacon for a sweet and savory treat.
Try Different Kinds of Bacon: Explore beyond the traditional American streaky bacon. Look for different cuts and curing methods, such as slab bacon, Irish rashers, or pancetta.
Share on Social Media: Show off your bacon creations and connect with other bacon enthusiasts by using the hashtag #NationalBaconDay.
How Bacon Differs Around the World
Bacon varies greatly from country to country, primarily in the cut of pork used, the curing method, and the final flavor and texture.
United States 🇺🇸
In the U.S., bacon is almost exclusively made from pork belly, a fatty cut that results in thin, streaky strips when cooked. It is typically cured with salt and often smoked with woods like hickory or maple, giving it a strong, smoky flavor. American bacon is usually cooked until it's crispy and is a staple of breakfast plates, sandwiches (like the BLT), and as a topping for dishes like salads and baked potatoes.
United Kingdom & Ireland 🇬🇧🇮🇪
British and Irish bacon, often called rashers or back bacon, is cut from the pig's loin. This makes it much leaner and more substantial than American bacon. It has a distinctive circular shape with a border of fat on one side. Back bacon is typically served as part of a full English or Irish breakfast and is cooked until it has a slight chew, rather than to a crisp. The flavor is less smoky and more focused on the natural taste of the pork.
Canada 🇨🇦
What Americans call Canadian bacon is a lean, ham-like product made from cured, smoked, and fully cooked pork loin. It is often served in thick, circular slices, most famously in eggs Benedict. In Canada, this product is simply called back bacon, while the term "bacon" refers to the same streaky, pork-belly bacon found in the U.S.
Italy 🇮🇹
Italy offers several cured pork products that are similar to bacon. Pancetta is cured pork belly that is usually unsmoked and can be sold either in flat slabs (pancetta tesa) or rolled into a cylinder (pancetta arrotolata). It's used to add flavor to pasta sauces, soups, and other dishes. Another notable Italian variant is guanciale, which is made from cured pork jowl (cheek). It is a key ingredient in traditional Roman pasta dishes like carbonara and amatriciana.
Germany & Austria 🇩🇪🇦🇹
In Germany and Austria, a variety of cured pork products are used, often referred to as speck. This can be a very broad term, but it generally refers to a form of bacon that is cured, spiced, and often smoked. Speck is used in numerous traditional dishes, from cold cuts to ingredients in stews and other cooked meals.
China 🇨🇳
The tradition of curing pork dates back thousands of years in China. Lap yuk, or Chinese bacon, is a sweet and salty cured pork belly or loin, marinated in ingredients like soy sauce and rice wine. The bacon is typically air-dried and used as a flavoring agent in stir-fries and rice dishes.
