Turkey bacon facts for kids
Turkey bacon is a type of meat made from turkey. It's prepared by chopping and shaping turkey meat. Then, it's cured (which means it's preserved with salt and other ingredients) and smoked (cooked slowly over wood smoke). People often buy turkey bacon as a healthier choice because it usually has less fat than regular pork bacon. It's also a great option for people whose religious beliefs mean they don't eat pork. This includes followers of Islam (who eat halal food) and Judaism (who eat kosher food).
How to Cook Turkey Bacon
You can cook turkey bacon in a few ways. The most common methods are pan-frying or deep-frying. Some types of turkey bacon, especially those made from dark meat, can be 90% fat-free.
You can use turkey bacon in many of the same dishes where you would use pork bacon. For example, it's great in a BLT sandwich. Because turkey bacon has less fat, it doesn't shrink as much when cooked. However, it can sometimes stick to the pan more easily. This is why deep-frying can be a quicker and simpler way to cook it.
Why Choose Turkey Bacon?
Turkey bacon is often chosen because it has less fat and fewer calories than pork bacon. It became quite popular in America in the early 1990s as a lower-fat alternative. Sometimes, people even call it "facon," which is a mix of "fake" and "bacon."
Besides being a lower-fat option, turkey bacon is also important for people who avoid pork for religious or dietary reasons. For Muslims, pork is considered haram (forbidden). For Jews, pork is treyf (not kosher).
For example, when a company from Tulsa, Oklahoma, called Beautiful Brands International, opened restaurants in the Middle East, they had to change their recipes. They used halal turkey bacon instead of pork bacon at their Camille's Sidewalk Cafe locations. This was because Islamic customs do not allow eating pork or meat that is not halal.
Nutritional Facts
When we look at the nutrition, two strips of Butterball turkey bacon have about 3 grams of fat and 50 calories. About 32% of those calories come from fat. Other brands like Louis Rich and Mr. Turkey have a bit more fat, around 4 or 5 grams for two slices.
To compare, two strips of regular pork bacon usually have about 7 grams of fat. It's also good to know that turkey products, including turkey bacon, often have about twice as much sodium (salt) as the pork products they replace.
