Peameal Bacon

[SHOFEAR]

For whatever reason Peameal (well.....cornmeal) bacon was always a regular weekend breakfast as a child here in E-Town.

[Coldrsx]

Cornmeal bacon... I will bring you back some real pea meal.

[MoreTrains]

Its just a brined pork roast coated in cornmeal (because peameal doesnt last as long). I first had it in Germany in the late 80s. Have had it at restaurants in Kingston, Toronto, Ottawa, Victoria and Petawawa. Its really good on a club sandwich. It is also a major ingredient in a christmas morning classic wife-saver.

Canadian Bacon is, to the best of my knowledge, the exact same thing that is occasionally smoked, but not always.

[esquire]

I always thought that "Canadian Bacon" was one of those things named after another country/culture that was completely unknown to the group it was named after.

Kind of like the old Quebec classic, pate chinois, which despite being "Chinese" in name is totally unknown to every single Chinese person.

[urbandreamer]

Those rubbery round discs that some restaurants sell in the ROC--hey even some in Toronto--as back bacon or peameal ain't the real deal. The pig disc was my first exposure to peameal bacon and turned me off for years. Now I know better. The best peameal is found in SLM--it's served fresh off the (grill?) and literally melts in your mouth. Damn, you're making me hungry for one right now! The lineups at Carousel Bakery on an average Saturday morning rival those at Schwartz's.

It's kind of like saying Maple Leaf foods smoked meat is the same thing as Schwartz's.

[Tone]

Originally Posted by esquire

Kind of like the old Quebec classic, pate chinois, which despite being "Chinese" in name is totally unknown to every single Chinese person.

Interesting because the traditional belief here is that the name came after a meal made by the railway Chinese cooks for the NA railway workers who were in large number Chinese!

[Blader]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Easiest to do this.

Pea meal

http://product-images.imshopping.com

Back/Canadian

http://www.recipetips.com

Western Canada 'pea meal' - much less fat/juiciness

The photo of Western Canada 'pea meal bacon is Canadian and not back. It's processed, formed, pressed, from pork chunks, much like a toupie ham - sort of faux ham/bacon.

Back/Pea meal are made from whole pork loin.

I stand to be corrected.

[Acajack]

Those round ham thingies are just that - ham.

Bacon is in thin strips and normally has at least some fat on it.

"Canadian bacon" in the U.S. is always weird.

As is a flat hamburger-type patty presented as "sausage".

A sausage to me is cylindrical. I know, in the States if you want this you have to ask for "sausage links". This is also true of some American chain restaurants operating in Canada like Perkins, Denny's, etc.

[urbandreamer]

The best bacon is wild boar bacon. Thick strips fresh from your local organic butcher.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Back/Canadian

http://www.recipetips.com

Western Canada 'pea meal' - much less fat/juiciness

Ham



Bacon (ignore the white-and-yellow things in the background)

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Those round ham thingies are just that - ham.

Bacon is in thin strips and normally has at least some fat on it.

You totally beat me to it (I guess I should've read the entire thread first)

[MolsonExport]

cdn.meme.am

[Tony]

Anthony Bourdain's "The Layover" episode for Toronto features a peameal bacon sandwich... for those that even care

Personally, I prefer Montreal Smoked Meat.

[TownGuy]

Peameal sandwiches are amazing. I usually slather mine in ketchup.

My mom would often make peameal bacon for breakfast.

[Coldrsx]

My Grandma recall pea meal bacon and fresh buns from the early 1900s, it is a tradition at our cottage.

[eemy]

Peameal bacon: wet-cured pork loin, unsmoked and rolled in cornmeal or peameal
Back bacon (Canadian bacon in parts of the US): smoked pork loin, uncoated
Bacon: cured and/or smoked pork belly

It is not related to ham at all. Ham is an entirely different cut of meat, though it is usually cured or smoked as well.

[hipster duck]

Peameal bacon is great. I used to order it as my choice of bacon at brunch in Toronto. When I tried doing that in Vancouver the waitress just asked me if I was from Ontario. I guess it's just an Ontario thing, although I never knew that when I was there.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Those round ham thingies are just that - ham.

Bacon is in thin strips and normally has at least some fat on it.

"Canadian bacon" in the U.S. is always weird.

As is a flat hamburger-type patty presented as "sausage".

A sausage to me is cylindrical. I know, in the States if you want this you have to ask for "sausage links". This is also true of some American chain restaurants operating in Canada like Perkins, Denny's, etc.

To me, "back bacon" is smoked pork loin. Ham is (or was, traditionally) made from the pig's hind legs, so a different cut altogether although similar in taste if lean and smoked. Peameal bacon is also made from the loin, although perhaps with some belly fat attached. As others have noted, peameal bacon is wet cured rather than smoked.

[SignalHillHiker]

McDonald's here calls it "Canadian bacon". But they also say "hot cakes". No one here says that. No idea why McD's does.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Architype

Being "Canadian" is generally only a southern Ontario thing.....

SO true!!!

I am from Northern Ontario. When I lived in London, ON for a couple of years some people down there asked how could I be Canadian and not know what peameal bacon is when I asked them about it. When I saw it, I thought it was just ham.

Many in Southern Ontario and especially in Toronto think they define what Canadian culture is and many there will simply say "we are not American." And you will often see news stories fro down there, even on CBC, ask "What exactly is Canadian culture?" So weird in my opinion.

Thanks everybody for your responses and input. It's interesting to see that peameal bacon isn't an across Canada thing at all. I have eaten Montreal smoked meat since I was young and it remains my favourite meat sandwich. Schwartz's is now available in supermarkets!