Canadian Bacon Grilled Cheese

Canadian bacon is the term used in American English for what other English speakers generally call "back bacon." Canadian bacon is from the lean pork loin on the back of the pig which is cured and usually smoked, making it taste very similar to ham (ham is from hind legs of pigs). American bacon is from the pork belly, with streaks of fat; and indeed, the term "streaky bacon" is used by some.

I often use a sourdough bread of mixed all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, which is what I used when I took the pictures for this article. It is a little "sturdier" than regular sandwich bread, and it comes in loaves in which the slices are a bit longer (that is, taller) than regular sandwich bread.

You can most certainly adjust the amounts shown in the ingredients below, and naturally, the kind and size of the bread slices will determine the amounts needed.

 

Ingredients (per sandwich):

 

1 to 2 slices Canadian bacon (back bacon)

2 to 3 slices Cheddar cheese

2 or 3 pieces of pimento

1 or 2 slices tomato

2 pats of butter (1 for each slice of bread)

2 slices white or wheat bread, or mixed

pickle slices for garnish or to serve on the side

 

First, fry the Canadian bacon over medium heat (you will almost certainly need a little oil or butter to start). It's fine if you brown the Canadian bacon a little too. Remove the Canadian bacon to a plate momentarily and turn the heat to low. Butter one side of each bread slice with a pat of butter. Put one slice of bread, buttered side down, into the same skillet you used to fry the Canadian bacon. Add 2 slices of cheese, 1 or 2 slices of the Canadian bacon, a couple of small pieces of pimento, and 1 or 2 slices of tomato. Keep carefully checking the underside of the bread to see how toasted it is. Add the second slice of bread, buttered side up, to the top of the sandwich and press down with a spatula or turner. When the bottom slice of bread is browned, carefully flip the sandwich over and let that slice of bread toast, which "usually" takes less time. Slice the sandwiches across or diagonally and serve with some pickle slices on the side. A common accompaniment in the U.S. is a cup or bowl of tomato soup.  

 

 

  

 

With cream of tomato soup, a common American pairing ...

WORD HISTORY:
Fund-This word, distantly related to the English word "bottom" (a word from the Germanic roots of English), goes back to Indo European "bhundhm," which meant "base." This gave Latin "fundus" (the "bh" rendered in Latin as 'f'), which meant "bottom, base, foundation," and this gave French, a Latin-based language, "fond," which was borrowed by English in about 1675 with the meaning "a pool of money to be used for some purpose," which, by c. 1700, had expanded to "basic supply of money, often for establishment of business activities," and also later, "a business that manages money." The French spelling with the 'o' was replaced in English with the 'u' following the Latin of 'fundus." The term most certainly still has the "business" meaning, but it has broadened to include personal or family "business matters," as in, "home improvement fund," or "car repair fund," or "vacation fund," or "kids' college fund." The verb was derived from the noun in the 1660s or 1670s (I found conflicting dates), initially with the meaning "to have a supply of money to establish a business or to expand an existing business," but the verb broadened in meaning to, "have a sufficient amount of money to pay for something," and "to provide money to someone or some entity for some purpose;" that is, "to finance someone or something (to fund someone)."