Bacon - (Savor the South Cookbooks) by Fred Thompson

Book Synopsis

From the earliest days of European settlement in the South, as in many rural economies around the globe, cured pork became a main source of sustenance, and the cheaper, lower-on-the-hog cuts -- notably, bacon -- became some of the most important traditional southern foodstuffs. In this cookbook, Fred Thompson captures a humble ingredient's regional culinary history and outsized contributions to the table. Delicious, of course, straight out of the skillet, bacon is also special in its ability to lend a unique savory smokiness to an enormous range of other foods.

Today, for regular eaters and high-flying southern chefs alike, bacon has achieved a culinary profile so popular as to approach baconmania. But Thompson sagely notes that bacon will survive the silliness. Describing the many kinds of bacon that are available, Thompson provides key choices for cooking and seasoning appropriately. The book's fifty-six recipes invariably highlight and maximize that beloved bacon factor, so appreciated throughout the South and beyond (by Thompson's count, fifty different styles of bacon exist worldwide). Dishes range from southern regional to international, from appetizers to main courses, and even to a very southern beverage. Also included are Thompson's do-it-yourself recipes for making bacon from fresh pork belly in five different styles.

Review Quotes

"A sharp collection of slim, single-subject volumes exploring Southern food."-New York Times

"In addition to many fabulous recipes (salted caramel brownies, anyone?), [Thompson] provides a fascinating summary of bacon's place in southern cuisine along with everything you'll ever need to know about bacon." -- The Scholarly Kitchen

"The new authority on bacon." -- Myrtle Beach Sun News

"Thompson has Southern cooking in his bones and can conjure and adapt delicious recipes that are easy to cook and satisfying to eat." -- Appetite for Books

"Would make welcome gifts to the cooks among family and friends." -- The Advocate

"You should probably have a pan of bacon cooking on the stove while you read this book -- and keep a hanky handy for the drool -- 'cause you're going to be very hungry." -- Salisbury Post