The Victorian preservation trick that became a Toronto culinary icon
In short: Peameal bacon is often mistaken for American Canadian bacon, but its origins are rooted in 19th-century survival. Born from a need to preserve meat during long sea voyages, this lean cut evolved from a practical necessity into a signature dish of Ontario's food culture.
The history of peameal bacon is tied to the migration and commerce of the 19th century. While curing pork in brine has been practiced for centuries—including the Wiltshire cure in England from 1765 or earlier—peameal's specific identity emerged with William Davies. After immigrating from Britain to Canada in 1854, Davies is credited with developing the practice of rolling trimmed, boneless pork loins in ground yellow peas. Oral history suggests this was a preservation technique used to protect meat shipments sent back to relatives in England.
The name 'peameal' persists even though the ingredients changed. Following World War I, and aided by improved refrigeration practices, cornmeal replaced the original dried yellow peas as the primary coating. This transition preserved the historic name while adapting to modern availability. Unlike smoked side bacon, peameal is a wet-cured, unsmoked product made from center-cut pork loin trimmed of fat. The brining process makes it nearly impossible to overcook, and its low fat content gives it a texture more similar to fresh ham or small pork cutlets than traditional streaky bacon.
The dish reached cultural immortality through the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. In the 1960s, butcher Joe Homer began selling fried 'ends' of peameal loins on buns with Elso Biancolin. By 1977, his sons expanded this into a national sensation at Carousel Bakery. The sandwich became so culturally significant that it was named Toronto’s signature dish in 2016 and even featured in an NBA Finals wager between the mayors of Toronto and Oakland in 2019.
From a nutritional standpoint, peameal bacon is notably leaner than its counterparts. A comparison shows that a 100-gram sample of peameal contains only 7 grams of fat and 157 calories, whereas side bacon contains 42 grams of fat and 541 calories. However, while it is lower in fat than turkey bacon, it remains high in sodium; a standard bakery sandwich can contain over 2,500 mg of sodium, exceeding the maximum recommended daily limit by about 10%.
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