Bacon Jam

The Austrian state of Styria (German: Steiermark, capital: Graz) saw the development of "Verhackert(es)," seemingly the forerunner of bacon jam. Verhackert(es) is well ground bacon, garlic, salt and sometimes paprika or pepper mixed together to form a spread that is eaten on bread. "Verhackert(es)" is a word closely related to English "hack."

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons thick ketchup 

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the bacon until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Turn down the heat to low and add the finely chopped onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onions brown and caramelize (this can take about 10 minutes or more). Add the garlic, brown sugar and cider vinegar, stir well until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium briefly until it begins to boil, then again reduce the heat to low and stir in the apple juice, being sure to scape up and browned bits from the skillet. Add the bacon, the black pepper and stir in the ketchup. Cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens.  

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Champ/Chomp/Jam-The origin of the verb "champ"^ is uncertain, although many believe it to be imitative of the sound of "noisy chewing." The word seems to show up about 1400 as ''chamb'' and "chammen," with the meaning "to chew." Later, when potatoes were brought from the New World and became acceptable in Europe (they were initially thought to be poisonous, as were tomatoes), the Irish developed a dish of mashed potatoes and scallions (green onions) they called "champ," perhaps because the ingredients were seemingly "chewed up;" that is, "mashed together?" Or perhaps because of the chewing sound necessary to eat the dish, as more and more the word "champ" carried the notion of not only "chewing," but of "the sound of chewing," of "noisily chewing." The mid 1600s saw the development of the variant "chomp" in the American Colonies. In the early 1700s, the word "jam" shows up, and it is likely from "champ," with the idea of "jaws or teeth pressing together" carrying over to jam, "to wedge between, to press together." The noun form for "fruit and sugar cooked together for a spread or tart filling" is from about 1740, and its development is likely from the same idea as the Irish potato dish mentioned above. "Being in a jam;" that is, "being in a difficult situation," traces to the early 1900s.

 

^ The noun "champ" is simply an American English shortening of "champion" from circa 1870.