Tracing the Ancient Origins of Bacon – Where Was It First Made?

With its irresistible savory, salty, smoky flavor, bacon has been a beloved breakfast staple for centuries. But where did this popular cured pork product originally come from? Let’s delve into the ancient origins of bacon and uncover where it was first made.

Bacon’s Earliest Roots

The earliest origins of bacon can be traced back thousands of years to China, where salted pork belly first appeared on dining tables. The Chinese are credited with first discovering the magic of curing pork in salt, which lent both preservation and new depths of flavor.

From China, the groundbreaking idea of curing pork belly spread along trade routes to other parts of Asia and Europe During the Roman Empire, various pork curing methods became common throughout the Mediterranean region and Europe.

The word “bacon” itself derives from pre-Medieval Germanic and French dialects. Terms like bakkon, backe, and bacho all referred to the back or buttock area of a hog, which is where bacon typically originated.

Bacon Arrives in England

In England, the Saxon word bacun dates back prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066. Much of the early English peasantry incorporated bacon into their cuisine. From the 12th to 16th centuries, the Middle English term bacon referred generally to all pork meats, not just the cured belly or back cuts.

Beginning in the 1700s, English pig farmers in the county of Wiltshire established the first commercial bacon curing operations. Wiltshire bacon was considered superior and remained popular well into the next century. John Harris is credited with opening the first large scale pork curing facility in the Calne area of Wiltshire in 1776.

Colonial America Embraces Bacon

Early American literature shows bacon’s integral role in colonial diet and culture. Ebenezer Cooke’s 1708 satirical poem “The Sot-Weed Factor” already pokes fun at bacon’s ubiquity in the New World.

As pig farming spread across North America, bacon became a dietary staple. The Jamestown colony in Virginia exported bacon and other pork products back to England by 1611. By the time of the American Revolution, one-third of all meat consumed in the colonies came from pigs.

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Hernando de Soto was dubbed the “Father of the American Pork Industry” for introducing pigs to the newly acquired American Southeast where the animals flourished. The rich, fertile American farmlands provided ideal conditions for raising pigs whose belly meat could be cured into bacon.

Modern Mass Production

As American pig farming became increasingly industrialized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, large pork processing plants brought mass produced bacon onto the national market. Oscar Mayer and Hormel emerged as major American bacon brands during this time.

New preservation methods like refrigerated rail cars and artificial refrigeration enabled bacon to be distributed throughout the country with a shelf life up to several months. Americans’ hearty appetite for cured pork belly secured bacon’s place on national breakfast tables moving into the 20th century.

Ancient Roots to Global Phenomenon

While the contemporary Western craze for bacon took hold most recently, its origins can be traced back thousands of years to ancient China. From Asia, the salt-curing of pork belly spread along trade networks to Europe and ultimately made its way via colonists to North America where hog farming flourished.

Born of humble peasant fare in the Old World, bacon has become a global phenomenon and pillar of the American breakfast. So next time you enjoy a mouthwatering slice, appreciate how this delicious cured meat was first crafted by our ingenious ancestors so many centuries ago!