Which tastes better regular bacon or turkey bacon?

Regular

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by Jacquie Schmall

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Right from the first sizzle, any cut of bacon you favor, whether thin or thickly sliced, will bring about an intense yearning for whatever meal is being prepared. As you place the slices in the slightly warm pan, quickly, so they all get done about the same time, they will begin the transformation that gives them the perfect salty, crispy, bite, to accompany a sweet meal, or to mix into a secret family salad recipe.

There is a turkey bacon available for those who feel concerned for their health, as bacon is both salty and fatty. However, as with Canadian bacon, it never develops the delicacy of the real thing. If salty is the only quality you seek, perhaps turkey bacon will satisfy you. However, there is more to bacon than mere saltiness.

Of course there are legitimate health concerns with some foods, however, enjoying their uniqueness with less frequency, may be the way to satisfy this worry. It is interesting to note that turkey bacon is more like Canadian bacon, and therefore more of a meat substitute. Real bacon is unique, and although there is always the individual preference for the crispness factor, different cultures prefer it different ways. With turkey bacon, there is always the chance the meat will become tough, and chewy, if cooked too long.

In Australia, they prefer the bacon only partially cooked, not crisp at all. When they serve it, it still has a rubbery quality. In some communities you will never find thinly sliced bacon, only thick country style. It may be more or less smoky, and more or less sweet, from the curing process. The curing process may also include nitrites which will enhance the intensity of meat color in the package available in stores. Otherwise, the bacon product would appear a shade of grey, and would not have the appearance to which we are accustomed.

The taste of bacon, or anything else we place in our mouths, is determined by the number of taste buds we have inherited from our ancestors. There are some people with merely 400 taste buds per square inch on their tongue, and some with as many as 1100. This difference will have a huge impact on the owners taste experience.

The several unique assortments of taste buds, their numbers, and placement on the tongue will really govern the "yummy" factor of all food. It has been shown that taste buds are not distributed evenly in the mouth, and this gives rise to the notion we may each experience the same food differently.

Besides salty taste receptors on the tongue, there are some on the inside of the lips. Salt is definitely finger licking good food. The sodium, potassium balance in our system is exceedingly important physiologically, so that may be why we yearn for salt, or need more water because we had too much salt.

Bacon or no bacon? If it's just for the salt you can eat any presentation of bacon on the market. But if you want that unique blend of savory, salt, and smoky, along with a crispy, melt in your mouth succulence, it will have to be the real thing.

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