Bacon - Stupid Question

slab of bacon?
There is no bad way to describe bacon, IMHO.

I think of it primarily as an English (UK) term. I don't think it's used much in the southern US. As I recall, "rasher of bacon" is always used, I don't recall ever hearing "rasher" used alone.

I would think that "a rasher" always goes with "of bacon"; I've also never heard "a rasher" be used on its own.

Technically it might be redundant, but a quick Google search revealed plenty of hits for "rasher of bacon", so I'd say you're in the clear.

Also, bacon!

Australia and New Zealand
Generally as for the United Kingdom. Middle bacon is the most common variety and are sold in "rashers". Middle bacon includes the streaky, fatty section along with the leaner "eye" at one end. In response to increasing consumer diet-consciousness, some supermarkets also offer the leaner "eye" end only. This is sold as "short cut bacon" and is usually priced slightly higher than middle bacon.


United Kingdom
An individual slice of bacon is a rasher, or occasionally a collop. In this region, bacon comes in a wide variety of cuts and flavours:


The quote above courtesy of Wikipedia

A rasher might require cream, some might be alergic to it as it could also be a rock fish, (Sebastodes miniatus, vermillion rockfish) but a piece or a rasher of bacon goes down well with an egg.

That said rasher is also a noun for bacon or ham, and it can also be used in a manner with meat to mean that rasher, slices of meat are being served.

I would stick to saying rasher(s) of bacon or slice(s) of bacon.

I'm also aware that not all countries consider slices of bacon, rashes, but slices or pieces of bacon. Although I have always known it as rasher(s) of bacon, if writing about bacon being served, which comming from the land of the biggerst meat eaters in the world I have, I would say slices or pieces of bacon, which I think is clear to those readers who may mix the meaning of the noun with its synonym(S) or not be aware of it.

Interesting.

We'd say 'Put a couple of rashers in the pan.' or 'How many rashers would you like?' I've heard that in Yorkshire and New Zealand.

Collops apply to gammon, or thick back bacon which is more like ham.

I find it funny, that although I have always known it as rashers, I don't say to my husband and daughter on Sunday, "Do you want a few rashers of bacon?" but "do you want bacon and eggs," or "I am cooking bacon and eggs." I know I am cooking rashers, but think of them as slices, well same thing. But I never use the word rashes. If I go to the butchers I ask for a kilo of bacon, and know he will give me rashers, and enough of that lovely meat to keep me happy for a few weeks.

pdr said:

We'd say 'Put a couple of rashers in the pan.' or 'How many rashers would you like?' I've heard that in Yorkshire and New Zealand.

Collops apply to gammon, or thick back bacon which is more like ham.

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In common use in my household.
My butcher sells bacon as back or streaky rashers - back is more expensive, streaky tastes better (because it has more fat)
I'll be cooking rashers later this morning

What a cruel question for a Sunday morning, when all I have are eggs! I've always referred to any cut of bacon as a 'rasher of bacon'. 'Rasher' is fine once you've established the meat is bacon. The term also applies to thin slices of turkey. If someone is cooking bacon, you might reply whether you want one rasher or two, but you wouldn't go into a shop and ask for 'rashers'.

You can buy lean rashers as well as streaky.

Hmmm, never use the term here in Kansas. I thought is was a foreign term and didn't even realize it was commonly used in the States. I've heard bacon referred to as "side". But we buy a package or pound of bacon and you ask for slices or pieces when Mom is cooking in the morning. The leaner cut is referred to as "farmer's cut" in the stores, but most of us "tight" farmer types buy the regular bacon or don't eat it rather than pay that much. Just to make it even more confusing there is jowl bacon. Hah!

Synonym said:

Hmmm, never use the term here in Kansas. I thought is was a foreign term and didn't even realize it was commonly used in the States.

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It's never used here in Texas, either. I think it's probably a regional thing, kinda like coke/soda/pop.

I've never even heard the term "rasher" before.

I'd be happy with either rasher or rasher of bacon. But I would like to point out that the bacon sold in the US is VERY different from that sold in the UK. Can't comment on other countries.

girlyswot said:

I'd be happy with either rasher or rasher of bacon. But I would like to point out that the bacon sold in the US is VERY different from that sold in the UK. Can't comment on other countries.

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What girlyswot said.

*weeps with longing for British bacon and sausages*

Canadian bacon is the cured loin of a hog. Very lean and of course expensive since that is a very desirable cut. Now, the tricky part is whether they call it Canadian bacon in Canada or not.

I was raised in Texas, and my grandparents on my mother's side would use the phrase 'rashers of bacon'. I don't think I've heard it used much now though. I suspect one might hear in in the US, depending on location - and possibly one's own heritage. Recent immigrants might still use it, whereas others have dropped it. But it's not a common phrase in my experience in the U.S. "Slices" - would be the more likely term.

Canadian bacon...

in Canada is very hard to find. But yes, my daughter's supermarket advertises it as such when they have it. It is excellent.

Synonym said:

Canadian bacon is the cured loin of a hog. Very lean and of course expensive since that is a very desirable cut. Now, the tricky part is whether they call it Canadian bacon in Canada or not.

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In Canada they call it back bacon.

Puma said:

Is saying a "rasher of bacon" redundant? That's what I grew up hearing, but someone told me that since a rasher is bacon I don't need to say bacon. If I just said a rasher, would you understand what it was? Puma

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Just because a word is redundant doesn't mean you should decide to omit it.

Much of conversation is redundant. That is what makes it so easy to use - you can deduce the meaning of new words, cope with partially heard sentences, etc.

Basic communication theory shows that redundancy has a vital purpose ... much like a CRC or forward error correction code, it enables the listener to avoid misinterpreting an entire sentence just because of a misheard word.

Long live redundancy !!

Mac

"Rasher" is not redundant when used with bacon. It is a measurement, however vague. It does not mean bacon. Would a couple of eggs be reduntandt because couple is often used with eggs? or a "pair of trousers"? I've seen rasher used for other measurements (anywhere from "a serving" to "a rack").

Even if it were redundant, that's the correct historical term.

girlyswot said:

I'd be happy with either rasher or rasher of bacon. But I would like to point out that the bacon sold in the US is VERY different from that sold in the UK. Can't comment on other countries.

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You got me curious, so I found this link:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TsQ2mWt6XPM/SRoGBg4tllI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8eOns0nrLb4/s320/goodbaconslices.JPG&imgrefurl=http://ridiculousfoodsociety.blogspot.com/2008/11/british-style-back-bacon-american.html&h=248&w=320&sz=12&tbnid=cgKLPgaJ0nIsxM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbritish%2Bbacon&usg=__hzjZSwceW4IMJ1Sxqv0XvWErO38=&ei=6xBkStCBEYnYsQPKvsXxAQ&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=7&ct=image

Inarticulate Babbler said:

It does not mean bacon.

AND

Even if it were redundant, that's the correct historical term.

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Sorry, but rasher does mean bacon or ham, and is a noun for sliced bacon or ham - At least in the Australian Oxford Dictionary, and I also believe in commonwealth countries, and rasher without bacon, would not be out of place in a historical setting set in a few of these countries. eg "Throw a rasher onto the plate." Is perfectly logical and 'rasher' as a noun without bacon is most certainly historically correct even as I type now.

Although I can't recall how far back we go to rasher, being used as a noun, which was something I looked at a few years back, it has most certainly been used in that context since the 1700s and possibly 1600s but I can't recall the century.

If I read something set in the UK or other commonwealth countries such as Australia, where someone said. "I threw a couple of rashers on the plate," it would not be out of place and I would clearly know that a couple of pieces of bacon got thrown on a plate. And the use of rasher alone would most certainly be historically correct, maybe more so than say, rasher of bacon.

The person that brought up Puma's original question was obvioulsy someone well aware of rasher used the way it is used in some English speaking countries, but frankly who it was didn't look broader to the meaning, or consider people who don't know the term used as a NOUN, and I honestly think Puma that you need to either keep rashers of bacon which some not familiar with the term rasher will think of ration, and although it has a completely different meaning to "rash' and "rasher" the meaning will get across, in that they will think probably, a few slices or pieces of bacon.

That is what I think if you want to keep a bit of colour, but I personally dropped that colour rasher out of Australian Flavour and my current WIP because of the ambiguous possibilities of the word, when it does have different synonyms Internationally.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We need to reach audiances beyond our countries, and I do believe because it has other synonyms, even if they didn't exist in the past, which I brought up in my first post, that if we are talking about slices of bacon, that rasher on its own may not make sense to those who do not know it as a noun, or are aware of other synonyms for rasher. I have always known it it as 'rasher' but wouldn't dare expect my readers to know that, and personally have avoided the word in my own WIP, where it would most certainly be historically correct, because I was aware not everyone knows the noun for bacon in our country.

Also with Canadian bacon, which I was only fortunate to sample in Hawaii, it taste different and is almost razor thin, where bacon in Australia is thicker, some sections fatterier which contain the rind, wich by the way grilled becomes a most tasty, crispy delight, it is also sold here without the rind, but it is most certainly thicker than bacon I had in Hawaii or on the US mainland.