Disney Treats: In Praise of (Candied) Bacon
So, as I sit here in a sour mood I am thinking back (and ahead) to my last (and next) Walt Disney World trip.
And with a plethora of healthy food sitting about the house and nary a sweet or savory snack in reach, only one taste comes to mind.
Candied Bacon.
A Sweet and Savory Snack
Yaaaaaaas, queens and kings, I discovered this exquisite treat at Frontierland’s Westward Ho Refreshments.
The smell alone is enough to draw you toward the stand. And the surprisingly sweet AND savory serving of thick bacon coated with a sugar concoction — well, I stopped by the stand twice.
Savory Facts About A Favorite Snack
So, in honor of my new favorite snack at the Magic Kingdom, here are some “Savory Facts About Bacon” as compiled by Jeff Wells from MentalFloss:
1. IT DATES BACK TO 1500 BCE.
The Chinese were the first to cook salted pork bellies more than 3000 years ago.
2. ROMANS CALLED IT “PETASO.”
Bacon eventually migrated westward, where it became a dish worthy of modern-day foodies. The Romans made petaso, as they called it, by boiling salted pig shoulder with figs, and then seasoning the mixture with pepper sauce.
3. THE WORD REFERS TO THE “BACK” OF A PIG.
The word bacon comes from the Germanic root “-bak,” and refers to the back of the pig that supplied the meat.
4. THE FIRST BACON FACTORY OPENED IN 1770.
In England, where it became a dietary staple, bacon was typically “dry cured” with salt and then smoked. In the late 18th century, a businessman named John Harris opened the first bacon processing plant in the county of Wiltshire, where he developed a special brining solution for finishing the meat.
5. “BRINGING HOME THE BACON” GOES BACK CENTURIES.
In 12th century England, churches would award a “flitch,” or a side, of bacon to any married man who swore before God that he and his wife had not argued for a year and a day. Men who “brought home the bacon” were seen as exemplary citizens and husbands.
6. IT HELPED MAKE EXPLOSIVES DURING WORLD WAR II.
A promotional film starring Minnie Mouse and Pluto chided housewives for throwing out more than 2 billion pounds of grease every year: “That’s enough glycerin for 10 billion rapid-fire cannon shells.”
7. MODERN TECHNOLOGY WANTS TO HELP YOU WAKE UP AND SMELL BACON.
An ingenious combination of toaster and alarm clock, the Wake ‘n Bacon made waves a few years back with the promise of waking up to fresh-cooked bacon.
8. THE AVERAGE AMERICAN CONSUMES 18 POUNDS OF BACON EACH YEAR.
Savory, salty, and appropriately retro: The past couple years have been a bonanza for bacon, with more than three quarters of restaurants now serving bacon dishes, and everything from candy canes to gumballs now flavored with bacon.
9. THERE’S A CHURCH OF BACON.
This officially sanctioned church boasts 13,000 members under the commandment “Praise Bacon.”
All I have to say is “Amen.”
And be sure to try out this unique (?) treat next time you are in Frontierland and be sure to check out the full article of bacon bits from Mental Floss.