It's time for turkey bacon to drop pig act

PHILIDELPHIA - Turkey bacon - the substitute for the unsubstitutable - has long been the object of malicious and irrational attacks.

Foremost among them: "It doesn't taste like bacon." But the truth is, our hopes are too high and disappointment is inevitable when we expect a turkey to taste like a pig.

A slice of turkey bacon sends off mixed signals: By length and width, it reminds us of its pork counterpart. But, if anything, the manufacturing process - of cured and smoked turkey bacon - at least makes it a closer cousin to Canadian bacon.

So if you must make comparisons, at least give turkey bacon the courtesy of weighing it against your expectations for Canadian bacon.

By sight alone, the product can be divided into two distinct categories: striped and marbled. The former variant - including brands such as Louis Rich, Butterball and Jennie-O - results from alternating stripes of finely ground, emulsified light and dark meat. It is a visual gesture that tries in vain to replicate the natural striping of bacon sliced off a pork side, and these stripes perpetuate the ill-conceived comparison between the two.

These brands also tend to be slightly higher in fat (in a futile effort to achieve a porky crisp) than the marbled variety.

Source: Philly Enquirer
calendar icon 2 February 2006
clock icon 1 minute read
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