National Canadian Bacon Day Date in the current year: March 3, 2024

Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork that usually comes from the pork belly, although it can also be made from other cuts such as the middle of the back, the back near the head, the shoulder, and the cheek. The most popular type of bacon in the United States is streaky bacon, or side bacon, which is taken from the pork belly, whereas most bacon consumed in the UK and Ireland is taken from the middle part of the back. Back bacon is leaner than side bacon.

Canadian bacon, also referred to as Canadian-style bacon, is a type of back bacon prepared in a certain way. A cut of pork is cured, smoked and fully cooked, given a cylindrical shape, and cut into thick slices. The resulting product is fully ready to eat. Because of its lean cut, the flavor of Canadian bacon is believed to resemble ham more than other types of bacon.

Another variety of back bacon produced in Canada is peameal bacon. It is found mainly in Ontario, where it was brought English immigrants in the mid-19th century. To make peameal bacon, a center-cut pork loin is trimmed of fat, wet-cured and rolled in cornmeal. Before World War I, it was rolled in ground yellow peas, hence then name. The main difference between Canadian bacon and peameal bacon is that the latter is unsmoked and therefore has an even more ham-like flavor.

Although some Americans call peameal bacon Canadian bacon, the North American Meat Institute based in the United States uses the terms Canadian bacon and Canadian-style bacon to refer to smoked back bacon. Interestingly, neither of the terms is used in Canada, where the product Americans call Canadian bacon is known as back bacon, and the streaky side bacon popular in the United States is called simply bacon. Outside of Ontario, where peameal bacon is rarely found, this type of bacon is also referred to as back bacon.

Canadian bacon is leaner and healthier than side bacon and even than turkey bacon, even though it is the latter that is commonly marketed as a low fat, healthy alternative to pork bacon. Back bacon contains less fat than streaky bacon and less sodium and carbohydrates than turkey bacon. According to nutritionist Theresa Albert, side bacon contains 42 grams of fat, turkey bacon 28 grams and back bacon 7 grams of fat per 100 grams. The energy value of these types of bacon are 541 kcal, 282 kcal, and 157 kcal, respectively.

It is unclear who came up with the idea of celebrating National Canadian Bacon Day and why it is celebrated on March 3, but multiple websites claim that the holiday exists, so who are we to argue? If you’re a fan of bacon and at the same time try to avoid fatty foods, this is the perfect occasion to give Canadian bacon a try. This lean alternative to streaky bacon is just as delicious! To celebrate, treat yourself to a Canadian bacon sandwich or fry some Canadian bacon with a side of eggs.