Craig Bechtle, age 9, of Middletown, Ohio, for his question:

WHERE ON THE PIG DO YOU FIND BACON?

Bacon is obtained from the sides of pigs. But the meat must be cured and smoked before it becomes the popular breakfast food.

Meat to be made into bacon is cut from the rib bones. The flat pieces of meat are trimmed and cured in a mixture of salt, sugar and a small amount of sodium nitrite. The salt preserves the bacon and gives it flavor. Sugar overcomes too much saltiness and makes the meat more agreeable to the taste. The nitrite helps to preserve the red color of the meat and helps prevent the growth of bacteria that causes botulism, a kind of food poisoning.  Curing bacon usually takes from 20 to 30 days.

After the bacon has been cured, it is smoked over a hardwood fire to help preserve it and give it a better flavor.

Canadian bacon is made from rounded strips of meat, called loins, which lie along each side of a pig’s back. It has less fat than bacon from the sides.