Few foods announce themselves quite like bacon. Long before it reaches the plate, the smell of it frying drifts through the kitchen, pulling people toward the stove and making breakfast feel like an occasion.
That affection is hardly new. Humans have been eating pork for thousands of years, and preserving it with salt and smoke was an obvious necessity long before refrigeration. Bacon-like cured pork was being made in China as early as 1500 B.C., while the English word bacon can be traced back at least to the Middle Ages.
Americans eventually developed a special attachment to it. By the early 20th century, bacon and eggs had become a familiar breakfast pairing, and packaged, sliced bacon made it easier than ever to bring that salty, smoky smell into the kitchen.
Over time, bacon became more than breakfast. It showed up on burgers, wrapped around vegetables and steaks, crumbled over salads, and eventually worked its way into doughnuts, chocolate, and ice cream during the great bacon craze of the early 2000s.
The enthusiasm makes sense. Bacon brings salt, smoke, fat, and deep savory flavor, along with the almost irresistible contrast of crisp edges and tender meat. A few strips can turn an ordinary dish into something people remember.
National Bacon Lovers Day arrives Aug. 20, which feels less like a manufactured holiday and more like formal recognition of something people already knew. This week, we have three recipes that give bacon the attention it has been earning for centuries.