Bacon and ham are both pork preparations, but come from different cuts of the pig and have different curing and drying times. Bacon is made from pork belly and is cured and dried, while ham is made from the leg and takes longer to cure and dry. Pancetta is similar to bacon and needs to be cooked, while prosciutto is a raw Italian ham.
The difference between bacon and ham is similar to the difference between American bacon and ham, as they are both preparations of different cuts of pork. Pancetta is essentially Italian pancetta, which comes from the belly of the pig and is cured; unlike American bacon, it is not smoked after curing. Prosciutto is an Italian ham that uses a leg of pork, which is cured and dried for a period of time usually ranging from several months to up to two years. This means that the main difference between bacon and ham is that each comes from different portions of a pig, and each requires different curing and drying times to prepare.
For most food lovers to understand the difference between bacon and ham, it’s usually easier to understand how each type of meat is prepared. Bacon starts with pork belly, which is the same cut of meat used to make American bacon, and the two foods are somewhat similar. Pork belly is typically cured using a combination of salt and curing salts which often contain sodium nitrate. This curing process changes the meat so that it becomes an inhospitable environment for harmful bacteria.
After the pork belly has been cured for about a week or so, it is typically hung in a cool, damp room for several weeks so that it can dry sufficiently. This gives the bacon a distinctive flavor, which is somewhat similar to American bacon. Unlike bacon, however, bacon is not smoked after curing and drying, which allows it to taste differently.
Ham is prepared somewhat similar to bacon, although there are notable differences. The cut of pork used to make ham is typically a flank, similar to the cut used to make ham. Cured ham is very similar to bacon, but the curing process often takes several weeks due to the much thicker cut of the meat used. Once cured, the ham is hung up and left to dry and age like bacon, but this process often takes months or even years.
While both bacon and ham are cured and cured, the process is much longer for ham and produces two pieces of meat with substantially different flavors. The pork belly used to make bacon is also much fatter than the leg used in ham, resulting in different flavors and textures. Another major difference between bacon and ham is how they should be handled before eating. Pancetta is very similar to bacon and typically needs to be cooked before it can be safely eaten, while ham is often eaten raw, although it can also be fried and eaten.
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