Canadian bacon is far better than anything served in the States.

I miss snowy Saturday mornings in the Laurentians mid-Feburary: a plate of maple glazed bacon and ham, the best damned baked beans and country pea soup in the world from Au Petit Poucet before a day on the ski slopes.

When I was a meat eater my vote would be for a salt beef sandwich with English mustard. The beigel shop in brick lane still does a decent one. Today I would choose a beigel with cream cheese and salmon from the same place. When I gave up meat the biggest sacrifice was a bacon sandwich on white bread with vinegar.

^ one ham that may not be on your radar that's worth hunting down is Austrian/Czech in origin and made with meat from the Mangalista breed pig ( a hairy old fella indeed).
It's in a similar style to classic jamon and posciutto, but the fat content is upped even more and it 'marbles' through flesh ( a bit like wagyu/kobe beef ) as a result of the pigs living in colder climate on a very rich diet and they are slaughtered a little older than their Mediterranean counterparts.

It's available in the usa from these chaps....

http://www.countrycuredhams.com/mangalitsa-ham.php

you know you're my hero Acton_Baby, I biggup you all over the place ......

going to look for the Mangalitsa ham today ......

^BG's was the only place in NY to sell 'bloaters' - a herring cured with the guts left in so they 'puff up' when they are cured -  a little bit stinky but the flavour was amazing.

The FDA banned them years back , but you could still get them 'at the back door' for special orders.

Last edited by Acton_Baby (2014-09-30 11:10:40)