American Bacon: The History of a Food Phenomenon

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American Bacon: The History of a Food Phenomenon

In American Bacon, Mark A. Johnson explores the surprising journey of a once-controversial food that became one of America’s most beloved culinary icons.

How did bacon transform from a food surrounded by religious restrictions, cultural criticism, and health concerns into a modern symbol of indulgence, identity, and popular culture? Johnson traces the fascinating rise of bacon from its early roots in Britain through centuries of change, following its evolution across colonial America, the Civil War era, the Progressive Era, the rise of diet movements, and today’s craft bacon renaissance.

More than a history of farming, advertising, and eating habits, American Bacon reveals how this humble food reflects the larger story of American society. Johnson examines bacon’s connections to race, class, gender, and cultural identity while exploring the broader historical forces that shaped its place in everyday life—including immigration, conflict, industrialization, suburban growth, reform movements, changing consumer tastes, and globalization.

From a food once viewed with suspicion to a product celebrated in restaurants, kitchens, and popular media, bacon’s transformation mirrors America’s own changing values and contradictions.

Insightful and engaging, American Bacon offers a unique cultural history of how a simple strip of cured pork became a powerful symbol of tradition, controversy, creativity, and national identity.