How Canadian Bacon Got its Name
By George Brozowski. FBWorld.com Staff Writer

OK, so you’ve seen those little round packages of Canadian bacon at your favorite local grocery store and you even like Canadian bacon on your pizza but you might be surprised to learn that real Canadians (yes, those actually living in Canada) wouldn’t have a clue if you showed them what you considered to be Canadian bacon in America.

Real Canadian bacon, known as “peameal bacon” in Canada, is unknown to most Americans. Peameal bacon is made from boneless pork loins, short cut from the leaner portions of the loin, to ensure a more uniform product. External fat is trimmed to within 1⁄8 inch. Smokeless and tender, this product is sweet pickle-cured and rolled in a traditional golden cornmeal coating. It is known as peameal bacon, because in times past a mixture of ground yellow peas was used for coating to improve curing and shelf-life. The "Canadian" bacon sold in the United States is plain lean back bacon.

All of this adds up to why Ken Haviland, who operates out of Troy Michigan, not Canada, named his company the REAL Canadian Bacon Co. Although his company is based in Michigan, the product is made in Canada, imported to the United States and inspected by the USDA, which classifies it as uncooked Canadian bacon.

He sells "Canadian peameal bacon" over the Internet, so people all over the United States and the world can buy the real thing and have it shipped, frozen, to their front doors. Ken sells packages of slices as well as unsliced roasts, which stay tender and juicy after baking because of their brine curing.

His Web site -- http://www.realcanadianbacon.com/ -- has recipes for the slices and roasts, as well as more Canadian bacon history, a nutritional analysis and ordering information. Wholesalers and distributors, please call 866-222-6601.