A Brief Word About Bacon

I grew up loving to eat bacon. Bacon has almost always been a part of my breakfast plan. My mother used to get up at 4:30 AM just to prepare breakfast for us before we went to school every morning. We loved to eat bacon and sausage and oatmeal and scrambled eggs. To this day I still love a good side of bacon.

When I first learned that Jewish people do not eat pork products I felt sorry for them because they were missing out on the delicious taste of bacon. But years later I learned that not all bacon is made from pork. The word "bacon" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic word *bakkon (the asterisk means this is a conjectured word, not one that has survived to this day in usage). The word means "back meat" or "meat from the back (of an animal)". Pork bacon is indeed made from the back of a pig -- but also from its sides.

Because of a need for kosher foods, and because fried bacon is not the healthiest form of pork, food manufacturers have produced beef and turkey bacon products for many years. These alternative bacons can be just as delicious as pork bacon -- in some ways they are even better. So when I first learned about alternative bacon products I thought, "Wow. I can eat kosher foods with my friends and still enjoy bacon."

Of course, there is more to kosher food than just avoiding pork. For example, to remain kosher meat and dairy products must be prepared and served separately. That is why you won't find meat on a kosher pizza (but if you have never had kosher pizza by all means try it -- MMMmmmm! So delicious!).

Bacon is a good source of protein. Some cuts of bacon have more fat than others. It's generally considered less healthy to eat all the fat. If you can buy lean bacon you should. You'll still get that rich bacony flavor but not so much fat.

If you're eating a low-carb, high-protein diet bacon is one of the most versatile foods. You can eat it by itself or cut it up and put it in a salad or lay it across another piece of meat like a hamburger. Although a little greasy, bacon can also be used as a dipping food in place of corn chips.

Of course, if your dip is a cheese dip then you cannot use bacon with it. But I am sure there are other good uses for bacon in creative food preparation.

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