From the earliest days of European settlement in the South, as in manyrural economies around the globe, cured pork became a main source of sustenance,and the cheaper, lower-on-the-hog cuts—notably, bacon—becamesome of the most important traditional southern foodstuffs. In this cookbook,Fred Thompson captures a humble ingredient’s regional culinaryhistory and outsized contributions to the table. Delicious, of course, straightout of the skillet, bacon is also special in its ability to lend a unique savourysmokiness to an enormous range of other foods.

Today, for regular eaters and high-flying southern chefs alike, baconhas achieved a culinary profile so popular as to approach baconmania. ButThompson sagely notes that bacon will survive the silliness. Describing themany kinds of bacon that are available, Thompson provides key choices forcooking and seasoning appropriately. The book’s fifty-six recipes invariablyhighlight and maximize that beloved bacon factor, so appreciated throughoutthe South and beyond (by Thompson’s count, fifty different styles ofbacon 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 fromfresh pork belly in five different styles.