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Turkeybacon-2

Turkey bacon

Bacon is a cut of meat cured in salt or brine and often smoked, and sliced thin for quick preparation on a skillet. Bacon typically comes from the pork belly, though there are also beef and turkey varieties. Bacon is typically served as a breakfast item accompanying other breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, sausage, and/or toast.

Popularity of bacon[]

Bacon may owe a lot of it's popularity to it's strong umami (or savory taste, one of the five basic taste sensations), which provokes an addictive neurochemical response. For many, eating bacon in the modern, health-conscious world is considered to be an expression of rebellion.

Whatever the reason for it's popularity, bacon appears in and supplements a number of food items, such as hamburgers and deviled eggs. The narrator in Ebenezer Cooke's poem "The Sot-Weed Factor" (1708) complains that nearly all American food items contained bacon.

Bacon and health concerns[]

Bacon is high in salt and saturated fat, which are associated with a number of health problems. Bacon often contains chemical preservatives such as sodium nitrite, which a study by Columbia University in 2007 suggests is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A study from Harvard School of Public Health found in 2010 that eating meat preserved by smoking, curing, or salting, or by adding chemical preservatives is associated with increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.

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