FOOD NEWS
What's The Difference Between Pork Belly And Bacon?
By Heidi Chaya
While bacon has been reimagined and added into ludicrous products like gummy bacon and bacon-scented candles, some might not know the difference between pork belly and bacon. Although pork belly and bacon are both cut from the pig's underbody with the loin (back), spareribs, and skin removed, they are different in preparation and form.
Pork belly is sold in thick strips or big chunks, while bacon is thinly sliced and cured. Aside from the belly, bacon can also come from other parts of the pig — there's back bacon made from the loin, jowl (cheek) bacon, shoulder (or cottage bacon), and slab bacon, which is made from the sides of the pig.
Bacon also comes in many forms, such as rashers (slices) of bacon consisting of belly and loin from England, Canadian bacon which is made from the loin, and pancetta from Italy, which is pork belly cured in salt and pepper and sometimes sold in cubes. MasterClass adds to the list uncured bacon, which is actually cured using synthetic nitrates, and pastured bacon, which comes from pigs on pasture diets.