Jun 21, 2011

Origin of Bacon

A friend of mine, Sherri Moore asked me where that funny word came from, so it sent me crawling around the web for an answer, beginning with the online etymology dictionary. Records of bacon, by its many names go back to 1500BC. The word we use derives originally from the Old High German “bacho”, meaning “buttock”, which derived from the Proto-Germanic “backoz”, meaning “back.”  By the 14th century, turned up in Old French as “bacun”, meaning “back meat”.  By the 16th century, it came into Middle English as “bacoun”, which referred to all cured pork, not just the back meat. Lately, aficionados have been calling it 'nature's candy'.

American Bacon, or “streaky bacon” as the Brits call it, is usually cut from the fatty sides of a pig’s belly.  Canadian Bacon, known as “back bacon” is made up of the tender loins located on the back of pigs. Guess that means they are calling it 'back back meat', ay.

Bacon contains a nutrient called choline which has been shown to boost memory and muscle control. When deprived of choline in their diet almost 80% of the men and postmenopausal women developed liver or muscle damage. The study also found that young women can supply more choline because pregnancy is a time when the body's demand for choline are highest. Choline is particularly used to support the fetus's developing nervous system. You can also get choline from eggs, liver, milk, chicken, and various nuts. That proves it, bacon and eggs are good for you.