''Bacon and Hams'' is a 1917 book by George J. Nicholls, a member of the Institute of Certificated Grocers. The book details the then-modern bacon and

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

industry beginning with the use of the pig breeds, meat processing and the distribution and pricing of cuts with a focus on the United Kingdom. The meat processing aspects focus on the popular Wiltshire cut of the time, but also includes American cuts as well. The book was described, with approbation, by the

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Overseas Livestock Marketing Commission, as an "admirable and important treatise". Despite having entered the public domain, the book is rare and collectible and generated interest for its "unparalleled" anatomical details of pigs found in its fold-out pages. A modern review called it a "

paean A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice ( monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also πα ...

to the pig".

Author

According to the title page of the book, George J. Nicholls was the director of George Bowles, Nicholls & Company. He was also a Trustee, Member of Council, Chairman of Finance Committee, and honorary Examiner to the Institute of Certificated Grocers. He was also a member of the Home and Foreign Produce Exchange and Chairman of Committee of the Wholesale Produce Merchants' Association in London. Nicholls followed in the footsteps of his father in the provision trade and hoped that two of his three sons would continue the family tradition. The book features a studio photograph of its author in

fancy dress A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock char ...

as a side of bacon.

Terminology

The term bacon in this book does not refer to the sliced and pre-packaged bacon that is ubiquitous in American markets, but instead the cured whole side of the pig. Furthermore, the differences between bacon in the United States and in the United Kingdom are quite pronounced, and the book refers only to cuts common in the United Kingdom. The cut that is used to produce "American bacon" is a cut referred to as "streaky bacon" in the United Kingdom. Most bacon consumed in the United Kingdom is known as back bacon and consists of both

pork belly Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless and fatty cut of meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in Hispanic, Chinese, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai and Filipino cuisine. Regional dishes France In Alsatian ...

and

pork loin File:British Pork Cuts.svg, 250px, British cuts of pork poly 187 219 187 194 173 196 Trotters poly 372 226 373 207 361 204 359 216 Trotters poly 171 141 166 104 287 117 294 152 Belly poly 167 102 178 27 315 23 274 102 Loin poly 361 201 371 18 ...

in a single cut. The Wiltshire cut was a way to divide up the meat, and was marketed to consumers in still further cuts.

Content

This book's target audience is not the common consumer of pig meat, but the grocer who would sell the products to the masses. The goal of the book was to aid in the proper handling, selling and profiting from the business of selling

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

. Furthermore, Nicholls noted that this book would come to fill a need for the students who would be taking the Institute of Certificated Grocer exams. The book is divided into nine chapters with seven appendices. The first chapter details the pig and its use in antiquity before summarizing the nutrient components of pork in comparison to

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

. The second chapter opens with the defining characteristics of a good bacon pig. The six principal breeds of the United Kingdom at the time were the Large White Yorkshire, the

Middle White The Middle White is a British breed of domestic pig. It originated in Yorkshire, and derived from the Large White and the now-extinct Small White. It was recognised in 1852, and the first herd-book was published in 1884. It is a porker, rear ...

, the Tamworth, the Berkshire, the Lincolnshire Curly-Coated and the Large Black. The Large White Yorkshire breed is traced to Robert Bakewell and highlights the importance of the breed for its quick maturity, rapid fattening and providing a long side. Though also credited for the breeding of the

Small White pig The Small White or Small Yorkshire was a British breed of domestic pig, common during the nineteenth century. It is now extinct, but its characteristics were used in producing the Middle White and other breeds. History and characteristics The ...

, Bakewell was secretive in his work and evidence of his pig breeding (as a whole) cannot be confirmed. Nicholls describes the other breeds and provides information on the number of pigs, the state of the industry and the classification of pigs for the market. The third chapter details the industry outside the United Kingdom. The fourth chapter discusses the current practices of the bacon factory, including the stages in which the pigs are received, killed, branded and processed. The usage of the entire carcass is covered, from the blood to the fat and hair of the pig. Chapter five details the distribution and wholesale centers of the industry and the terms and regulations used. Chapter six details the selection and grading of the cuts, beginning with the most popular Wiltshire cut. Chapter seven and eight details the retail distribution of the bacon, and dividing the Wiltshire cut into different cuts and pricing. Chapter nine concludes with the retail distribution of the American and Canadian cuts. The book includes fold-out anatomical charts that were popular during the time.

Release and recognition

''Bacon and Hams'' was first published in 1917 by the Institute of Certificated Grocers and printed by Richard Clay & Sons of London. A second edition was published in 1924. The book was referred to with approbation by the

Overseas Livestock Marketing Commission which described it as an "admirable and important treatise". Though the book has entered the public domain, it is rare and collectible. The website ''Cooking Issues'' featured the obscure book, creating an interactive

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animation of Nicholls's "unparalleled fold-out pig".

Notes

References