bacon

views updated May 23 2018

bacon Cured (and sometimes smoked) meat from the back, sides, and belly of a pig; variety of cuts with differing fat contents. Gammon is bacon made from the top of the hind legs; green bacon has been cured but not smoked.

A 100‐g portion of boiled collar joint is a rich source of protein, niacin, and vitamin B1, a source of vitamin B2 and iron; contains 30 g of fat, of which 40% is saturated; supplies 320 kcal (1345 kJ). A 100‐g grilled gammon rasher is exceptionally rich in vitamin B1 (0.9 mg); a rich source of protein and niacin; a good source of iron; a source of vitamin B2; contains 12 g of fat, of which 40% is saturated; supplies 230 kcal (970 kJ). A 100‐g portion of fried, streaky bacon is a rich source of protein, niacin, and vitamin B1; a source of vitamin B2 and iron; contains 45 g of fat, of which 40% is saturated; supplies 500 kcal (2100 kJ). Also a source of zinc, copper, and selenium.

bacon

views updated May 23 2018

ba·con / ˈbākən/ • n. cured meat from the back or sides of a pig.PHRASES: bring home the bacon inf. 1. supply material provision or support; earn a living. 2. achieve success.

bacon

views updated May 17 2018

bacon in early use, bacon was used to mean not just the cured meat from the back and sides of a pig, but also fresh pork, the meat most readily available to the rural population; from this, the word was used to mean a rustic, a clown.

Recorded from Middle English, the word comes via Old French from a Germanic word meaning ‘ham, flitch’, related to back.


bring home the bacon achieve success. The phrase probably derives from bacon in much earlier save one's bacon, recorded from the mid 17th century, and may in turn go back to idea that pig's meat was an essential and common article of food.

bacon

views updated May 23 2018

bacon XIV. — OF. bacon, AN. -un — Frankish *bako ham, flitch. f. Gmc. *bakam BACK1.