I bet you’ve been there – casually strolling to the supermarket, your mind full of dreams about a weekend breakfast loaded with sizzling bacon. But then, bam! The fresh meat aisle hits you with a barrage of options. Overwhelming, right?
Most of the time, you’ll spot pancetta and bacon sitting cosily side-by-side. But hang on, is pancetta just bacon’s Italian cousin? Are they even related? Let’s dive into this tasty mystery together, shall we?
Pancetta and bacon come from the same animal and cut of meat, but pancetta is salt-cured and then left to age which makes it safe to eat raw while bacon is only salt-cured, sometimes smoked, then sold as is.
What is Pancetta?
In many supermarkets, you can buy pancetta seasoned with all sorts of ingredients, from berries to paprika. However, in its most basic form, pancetta is pork belly cured in salt.
The key to pancetta is that it is not smoked, so the natural porky taste of the pork belly becomes its main flavour, quickly followed by that salty cure.
How I Use Pancetta
It’s the perfect ‘crouton’ for Caesar salad, just fry those little cubes until crispy and you’ll thank me later. I’m also a huge fan of wrapping it around chicken breasts or chunks of white fish before roasting
What is Bacon?
It seems like a silly question asking what bacon is, but many people don’t know this widely used meat as much as they think. Let us enlighten you so you can make the most of your bacon!
Countless types of bacon are categorised by which section of the pig the meat is cut from. The most popular types are back bacon and pork belly bacon. However, in all bacon cases, the meat is cured in salt and other add-ins like a little sugar before being smoked or packaged for you to cook at home.
The key to any good piece of bacon is its high fat-to-meat ratio, which is where bacon gets the vast majority of its flavour from.
When the bacon is cooked, all of that fat melts away to create a crispy piece of pork that has a salty, sweet flavour that can elevate any dish it is used in.
How I Use Bacon
Nothing beats it crispy, right out of the pan, for the perfect breakfast. It also lends a smoky flavour to my creamy potato soup. And here’s a fun one: I love to sprinkle cooked bacon bits on top of maple-glazed doughnuts for a sweet-savoury treat that always impresses!
Similarities Between Pancetta and Bacon
There is a reason (or several, really) that you will always find pancetta in the same row as bacon on the supermarket shelf. It is because they have enough similarities to fall into the same food categories, for example:
Pork Cuts
The biggest similarity between pancetta and bacon is that they are both products of pork.
In most cases, they are both cut from the same part of the pig — the belly — making them extremely similar cuts of pork before they go through their manufacturing process.
Porky Flavour
Of course, as bacon and pancetta are cuts of pork, it makes sense that the main flavour of the meats is a distinctly porky flavour like you would taste in pork sausages or ham.
This flavour is paired with other flavours that vary, but the main, easily identifiable flavour of pancetta and bacon is that of pork.
Salt Cured
What makes pancetta and bacon stand out from other pork products is how they are processed after they have been cut.
Both of their production methods start out the same: once the meats have been cut, they are cured in a salt mix. To be cured means that the meats are covered in a salt mix until the meat absorbs most of that salty flavour.
Both are salty due to their curing processes, but bacon often tastes saltier which is further enhanced by the smoky flavour bacon usually has.
Dish Elevation
The additional uses of pancetta and bacon differ slightly. However, the main, overall use of both pancetta and bacon is to elevate the flavour of any dish.
It is the salt-cured taste mixed with the meaty, slightly sweet taste of the pork itself that offers this elevation, making a dish more complex and well-rounded.
Sometimes a salad can be a little boring but frying up some bacon or pancetta and sprinkling it over the top is an easy way to elevate it (and make it a little less healthy, of course).
Fat Content
Thanks to being cut from pork belly, both bacon and pancetta have a high fat content.
This fat renders out during cooking and it’s what gives both meats their rich and satisfying flavours. It also makes them ideal for rendering and using the leftover fat to cook other elements in a dish, enhancing the overall flavour profile.
Differences Between Pancetta and Bacon
It may seem obvious from their names alone, but pancetta and bacon are not the same, despite coming from the same animal. They have their key, core differences, such as:
Origins
First up, bacon. This meat is a common staple from the United States, usually cut from pork belly, and rich in both fat and flavour. In contrast, pancetta hails from Italy. It also comes from pork belly, the term “pancia” even means belly in Italian.
Production Process
Though not all types of bacon are smoked, for the most part, they are smoked to give the bacon a signature smoky taste. Pancetta is never smoked or even cooked. Instead, it is aged in a similar way to cheese.
Bacon undergoes a three-step process. It’s cured with salt, sugar, and sometimes spices. It’s often smoked for an added depth of flavour, though unsmoked bacon does exist. Lastly, it’s cooked before serving.
Pancetta, unlike bacon, isn’t smoked. After being cured with salt, spices, and various aromatics like nutmeg, fennel, and garlic, it’s air-dried for several weeks or even months. This means it can be eaten raw, but it’s typically cooked.
Flavour Profile
Bacon has a distinct, satisfying taste. It’s smoky, salty, and slightly sweet. The smoking process imparts a unique flavour.
Pancetta, on the other hand, offers a different palate experience. It has a more complex flavour, peppery and subtly sweet. The air-drying process enhances its depth of taste.
You can substitute pancetta for bacon. They’re both pork products and offer a similarly rich, salty flavour. However, keep in mind that pancetta is typically less smoky than traditional bacon and a bit more delicate in flavour due to its curing process.
Pancetta vs Bacon: Which Wins?
Come on, then… Which of the two cuts of pork are you voting for when we put pancetta vs bacon in front of you?
Do You Prefer Pancetta or Bacon?
Sources
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Acacia may be a freelance writer by day, but they are a food fanatic by night. They are always trying out new recipes or finding different ways to elevate classical dishes. But their biggest culinary aim is to educate others on the basics of the kitchen so that they too can enjoy delicious food.
