March 3 is Canadian Bacon Day, a celebration of one of Canada’s most beloved breakfast foods — and one with a surprisingly rich backstory. While American bacon comes from the fatty belly of the pig, Canadian bacon is cut from the leaner loin and is known here at home as peameal bacon. It’s been around for more than 200 years and remains a favourite across Canada, the U.S., and parts of Europe.
The roots of bacon stretch back thousands of years. Pork domestication began in China around 4900 B.C., and by 1500 B.C., the Chinese were salting pork bellies — an early ancestor of the bacon we know today. Over the centuries, pork spread across Europe and Asia, with each region developing its own version. Medieval England, France, and Germany used the word “bacon” to describe almost any pork product, while Japan incorporated its own style into dishes like yakitori.
Canada’s signature contribution came later. In the 1800s, pork packers began cutting from the loin instead of the belly. One of them, William Davies, founder of the William Davies Company, started rolling these loins in yellow pea meal before shipping them to England. The coating helped preserve the meat — and gave birth to what we now call peameal bacon. Today, it’s often cornmeal‑coated instead, but the name stuck.
Peameal bacon sandwiches became wildly popular in the 1960s and remain a must‑try for tourists visiting Canada — especially in places like Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. While no one knows exactly when Canadian Bacon Day officially began, millions celebrate it each year by enjoying this uniquely Canadian delicacy.
Before you fry up a few slices, here’s your Tillsonburg fuel update:
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Pioneer: $129.9
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Esso: $129.9
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Shell: $124.9
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Petro Canada: $129.9
If you’re grabbing breakfast on the go today, a peameal bacon sandwich might just be the most patriotic choice on the menu.
