National Bicarbonate of Soda Day/National Bacon Day

Today marks an interesting “double-Holiday” day. It is both National Bicarbonate of Soda Day AND…wait for it…NATIONAL BACON DAY!!! Personally, I think the latter of the two is better than Christmas, but what do I know! Well, let’s do this! 

(Image found at: http://www.denveroffthewagon.com/2013/10/23/bacon-beer-festival-isnt-heaven-enough-now-dinner/)

Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda as many know it, is “a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda.” 

(Image found at: http://grime-scrubbers.com/uses-for-baking-soda/)

So, there’s not a whole lot to learn about this magical compound, but I can tell you that it was the Ancient Egyptians who first discovered, and therefore used it. They found it useful as a cleaning agent. It was an American duo (no, not Batman and Robin, nor was it Simon and Garfunkel), John Dwight and Austin Church, who, in 1846 are responsible for constructing and operating the very first baking soda factory! From here on, baking soda has become a popular baking ingredient, but also still holds on to it’s cleaning roots. For one, many (including myself) use this product as shampoo. To find other ways to put baking soda to good use, just do a simple search and you’ll find hundreds of links! Now…on to more important business – bacon. Bacon is the only thing you need in life. Okay, so that might not be true, but it is “a meat product prepared from a pig and usually cured.” There are several cuts of bacon, including:

• Side bacon, which comes from the pork belly and is the most common form of bacon in the United States. Also known as streaky bacon.

• Middle bacon, which comes from the side of the pig.

• Back bacon, which comes from the loin of the pig, and has a “ham-like texture.” In the United States, this is known as Canadian Bacon. It is also the most commonly used in the United Kingdom.

• Cottage bacon, comes from the shoulder of the pig. It is also sometimes known as shoulder bacon.

• Jowl bacon - yep! You guessed it, it comes from the cheeks of the pig!

• Slab bacon boasts a high fat content and comes from the side and belly of the pig.  Although it is similar to that which is used for salt pork, they are not the same thing!

(Image found at: http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2010/11/09/three-little-pigs/)

Since the 1980s much of the United States (and pretty much the entre world) has been facing a rather unusual phenomenon known as, “bacon mania.” This is the “passionate bacon enthusiasm in the United States and Canada.” As a result many novelty items (bacon Band-Aids, lip balm, candy canes, t-shirts and so much more), and culinary delights have been created. There are now entire restaurants and cookbooks dedicated to nothing but bacon. And, if you’re ever in Nova Scotia, and in the Halifax area, I recommend the Canadian Bacon Cookhouse!  

(Image found at: https://twitter.com/ashswa/status/343834572024320001)

The views are great and the food is even better, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might even catch the staff in a delightful sing-a-long. So, now that you’re in the know of all things bacon and bacon baking soda, vote on the Daily Poll!