Border Dispute

     True Canadian bacon (what you'll find in Canada), is known as peameal bacon or back bacon.  It comes from the loin, which runs down the middle of the back of the pig.  This bacon is brined, but not smoked, then rolled in cornmeal, giving it a yellow crust.  Peameal bacon is not widely available in the United States.

"American" Canadian bacon (what you'll find in the US), is usually smoked and fully-cooked.  It, too, is also known as back bacon, and also might be labeled Canadian-style bacon because, while its roots are in Canada, what's available here isn't actually produced or imported from Canada.  Instead, it's made domestically using the same cut and similar style.

    Like its cousin, peameal bacon, this American version of Canadian bacon is very lean and meaty, with less fat compared to other cuts of bacon, and is actually more ham-like.

     Canadian bacon is traditional in eggs Benedict.  It makes a great addition to any breakfast, as a pizza topper, or tossed with pasta.

article reprinted from "Tell me More" April 2016, Issue 116, Cuisine at home magazine