Today Is National Bacon Day!

December 30this National Bacon Day! A wise person once said, “Everything is better with bacon.” We can’t see the point in arguing that – nor would we – because it’s TRUE! How popular is bacon? You can find many items also flavored or scented with bacon including popcorn, soap, candles, air fresheners and many more.

In case you were curious...here's some more info about bacon:

• Bacon is one of the oldest processed meats as the Chinese were the first to cook salted pork bellies over 3000 years ago. Bacon dates back to 1500 BC.
• Back in Roman times, bacon was called “Petaso.” Petaso consisted of boiled salted pig shoulder with figs, that was then browned and seasoned with pepper sauce.
• “Bacon” comes from the Germanic root “-bak” which referred to the back of the pig used for the meat. Old High German “bakko” later became the French word “bacco” which the English then adopted to name any pork dish as “bacoun.
• Fast forward to the 1600s and bacon became a staple for European peasants as it was relatively easy to produce and a cheap meat source.
• The first bacon factory opened in 1770. Bacon was originally made by local farmers and butchers for their local communities. But in the 18th century, a man by the name of John Harris opened the first bacon processing plant. Mr. Harris had developed a special brining solution called the “Wiltshire Cure,” which is still used today.
• Until the first World War, bacon fat was the cooking fat of choice in most American households, when prepackaged pig lard became commonly available.
• Smoked Bacon is considered the highest quality.
• 70% of all bacon in the US is eaten at breakfast time.
• Bacon was used to make explosives during World War II. households were encouraged to donate their leftover bacon grease to the war effort. Rendered fats created glycerin, which in turn created bombs, gunpowder, and other munitions. A promotional film starring Minnie Mouse and Pluto chided housewives for throwing out more than 2 billion pounds of bacon grease every year: "That’s enough glycerin for 10 billion rapid-fire cannon shells."
• How “out of this world” is bacon? When astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin sat down to their first meal after their successful moon landing, they had bacon, peaches, sugar cookies and coffee.