I do a monthly round-up on this blog of some of the major food magazines and their coverage of bacon. It seems like every issue of Gourmet, Food & Wine, or Bon Appetit includes at least a few references to bacon, and the process of putting together my blog entries has turned into a little monthly game of “find the bacon” that honestly makes reading those magazines a bit more fun! But in September, Gourmet threw me for a loop. That month’s issue was focused on Latin American cuisine, so naturally there were a lot of recipes that involved pork. But there was not a single mention of bacon. So it got me wondering…while pork is widely used in Latin American cooking, what role does bacon play, if any?
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Mexico over the years, and I grew up in the Western United States where Mexican cuisine is quite common. And through my own experiences with Mexican food, I had only recently encountered bacon in the form of salchichas con tocino (bacon wrapped hot dogs), a delicacy that can be found throughout the Southwestern United States and in the northern Mexican border states of Sonora and Baja California.
The farthest I’ve ever traveled south into Latin America is the Mexican state of Jalisco, so my experience with other Latin American food cultures is limited to what I’ve had in restaurants in the United States. So I decided to consult with a few other people to see if they could provide some insight into the role that bacon does (or does not) play in Latin American cuisine.
I started with my college roommate, Macrui. She grew up in Miami, but has family in Uruguay and travels there somewhat regularly. Here’s what she had to say:
“I do know that there are different words for it: panceta in the River Plate countries (based on the Italian word) and tocino in the rest of Latin America. There is the staple rice & beans…bacon is used to give flavor to the beans. In Argentina and Uruguay – where the Italian influence is very strong – people do eat prosciutto, which is sort of bacon-like. I’m going to ask Diego and see what his thoughts are on this fascinating topic!”
Here’s what Diego (Macrui’s husband) had to say:
“We can’t even agree on what to call the stuff: panceta, tocino, tocineta or, in some places, bacon. It’s used in lots of traditional Spanish stews along with ham and sausage. Stewed black beans with bacon are typical in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In Uruguay, it’s typically added to sauces for pasta or as a complement to barbecued meats. I don’t think it’s typically eaten for breakfast anywhere in Latin America. Pork rinds (chicharron) are popular throughout Latin America.”
Thamara Pereira, a blogger from Caracas, Venezuela, also graciously responded to my request for information. Following is a rough translation of what she had to say:
“In Venezuela, we utilize bacon in non-traditional preparations. Because of the mixture of cultures we have thanks to immigration, we know it and it is common but not in traditional dishes. It can be obtained in supermarkets and markets. Consumption is generally at breakfast-type buffets, mostly in hotels and some family homes. It is utilized in preparation of French dishes such as coq au vin, and in quiches in some restaurants. In contemporary kitchens, bacon is used in the form of dust and is generally dehydrated in the microwave to decorate dishes.”
So it seems as though bacon is used in a variety of ways throughout Latin America, but most typically in a non-traditional sense – not in those dishes that we usually think of as being “Latin American.” The September issue of Gourmet was focused mostly on traditional Latin American cuisine, so that would explain the lack of bacon. But I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface here, so if you have experience with bacon in Latin American cuisine, leave a comment and let me know about it!