SC - medieval bacon

[Mordonna22 at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/26/98 5:24:12 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
PhlipinA at aol.com writes:

<< 
 << .."cooked in water like bacon"? When I think of bacon, I think of frying
 it,
  not boiling it. Is it common to do other than fry it today? Perhaps the
  definition of bacon has changed. I do know of the bacon, that at least the
  Americans call "Canadian bacon" but I would consider that a ham. I'm not
  enough up on pig anatomy to define what I am thinking of as bacon.
  
  What was the medieval definition of bacon? And how was if usually cooked?
   >>
 
 Stefan,
 
 I've been wondering about the definition of bacon as well. I've been working
 on my own translation of the copy of Anthimus that Cariadoc sent me, and
 throughout, the word "lardus" has been translated as bacon- I've been
 wondering if a more proper translation of the word might be "pork", as it
 speaks of taking "bacon" from the leg of the pig. Any insight, anybody?
 
 Phlip >>

I know if it comes from the leg, it ain't bacon by today's definition.  We
made bacon from the part of the pig between the rib cage and the hams.  That
portion on the front of the pig was usually fattier, and sometimes called
fatback, or sowbelly.  The part toward the pig's spine usually had more lean
than fat, and was called bacon or streak-o'-lean.
Fatback was either cut up for the lard pot, or salted.  This is what was known
as salt pork.
Bacon was either salted, smoked, or boiled and smoked.
Mordonna
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================