Canadian bacon / ham
Already-cooked cured ham, the defining protein of Hawaiian pizza's ham-and-pineapple combination, credibly documented as invented in Chatham-Ontario, Canada in 1962; also used as an approximation for Filipino-style pizza's sweet cured-meat toppings.
- Salt
- moderate
- Fat
- low
- Sweetness
- moderate
- Acidity
- low
- Heat
- none
- Moisture
- moderate
- Umami
- moderate
- Cooking requirement
- raw ready to eat
Preparation
Pre-cooked/cured ham, diced small so pieces cook through evenly in a short bake
Releases some moisture as it heats; diced smaller than a steak-cut ham reduces pooling
Applied before baking.
Cautions
- on Filipino-style pizza it stands in as the closest catalogued analogue for the style's traditional sweet cured meats (sliced hot dog, sweet ham); see hot-dog-slices for the more specific topping
History and cultural context
In North American usage, 'Canadian bacon' refers to a smoked, fully cooked, lean cut of back bacon sold under that name in the United States — but the name is largely an Americanism: within Canada itself, the same or a closely related cut is generally just called 'back bacon', or 'peameal bacon' when rolled in cornmeal rather than smoked. It was this ham/back-bacon-style topping, not Italian prosciutto, that Greek-Canadian restaurateur Sam Panopoulos used in 1962 when he invented Hawaiian pizza in Chatham, Ontario.
Traditional regions: Canada, United States
The standard 'ham' topping on commercially made pizza internationally, particularly paired with pineapple.
Also known as: Back bacon (Canada), Peameal bacon (Canada, unsmoked and cornmeal-rolled variant)
Commonly repeated, and not supported
- That Canadians themselves commonly call this cut 'Canadian bacon' — within Canada it is generally called back bacon.
- Peameal bacon — Wikipedia
- Hawaiian pizza — Wikipedia
Pairs well with
- Pineapple
Explicitly noted as a good balance for Canadian bacon / ham.
- Fresh arugula (rocket)
Adds textural contrast against Canadian bacon / ham. Best added fresh after baking, for brightness against Canadian bacon / ham.
- Pepperoni
Adds textural contrast against Canadian bacon / ham.
- Soppressata
Adds textural contrast against Canadian bacon / ham.
- Guanciale
Adds textural contrast against Canadian bacon / ham.
- Cooked bacon
Adds textural contrast against Canadian bacon / ham.
Styles using this topping
Provides a savoury, salty topping consistent with Filipino pizza's cured-meat convention, standing in for the hot-dog-slice topping the catalogue does not yet carry.