Crispy, salty, smoky, sweet—who can resist the allure of bacon? Certainly not food writer extraordinaire James Villas, who's been beguiled by bacon since he was a boy. Now, in this paean to pork bellies, Villas offers 168 ways to savor the flavor of bacon—and proves once and for all that bacon makes every meal better.

Ranging across America and around the globe, Villas gives you scores of intriguing and delicious ways to enjoy bacon that will take you well beyond familiar favorites such as Cobb salad, quiche Lorraine, and spaghetti alla carbonara (though you'll find delectable versions of all of these dishes in the book). You can sample enticing American regional specialties like California Hangtown Fry and Iowa Bacon and Onion Casserole Bread, or feast on a wide range of toothsome international dishes, including Swiss Potato and Bacon Cake, Irish Hot Pot, Philippine Adobo, Chinese Lion's Head, Equadorian Pumpkin Soup, and Portuguese Egg and Bacon Pudding. With recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, soups, salads, sandwiches, casseroles, stews, main courses, vegetables, pasta and rice, and even desserts, you'll discover just how versatile—and forever satisfying—bacon can be.

In recent years, the variety and quality of most supermarket bacon have improved immensely, and many premium American artisanal bacons, as well as delicious fo-reign ones, are now available at finer out-lets and online. Villas provides a complete taxonomy of today's bacon, explaining varieties such as French ventrèche and German Speck and explicating the differences between American, Canadian, Irish, and Chinese lop yuk bacon. Best of all, he offers a complete list of sources to help you discover this world of bacon delights.

If health concerns sometimes make you feel guilty about loving bacon, Villas urges you to relax. Yes, it's high in sodium and fat, but if eaten in moderation or used as a flavoring agent, as it is in many recipes in the book, bacon is a guilt-free indulgence. Illustrated with more than forty sizzling color photographs and featuring Villas's inimitable recipe notes and incisive cooking tips, The Bacon Cookbookwill be an indispensable kitchen companion as you explore bacon's many possibilities and pleasures.

"In this exuberant parade of pork fat, there is no doubting the flap copy when it states that Villas, former food editor for Town & Country, has been 'beguiled by bacon since he was a boy.' However, Villas's statement in his preface that staunch vegetarians and non-pork-eating religious traditionalists are 'haunted instinctively by the sensuous, irresistible enticement' is about as nutty as his Bacon-Almond Cheese Spread (made with cottage cheese and chives). Nonetheless, there's plenty good to be had in these pages. An introductory chapter explains the difference between Salt Pork and Pancetta, Paprikaspeck and Bauchspeck, and provides a thorough list of mail-order sources. Breakfast choices range from a nifty ole Bacon Scrapple to a rich French Cheese and Bacon souffl. There's a BLT, of course, but most of his other sandwiches go to extremes with ingredients like Jamaican smoked fish. For those who sometimes eat vegetables, there is Lima Bean and Bacon Casserole, and several amalgams mix a menagerie of meats, as in the Spanish Chicken, Bacon, Meatball and Chickpea Stew. Of the six dessert recipes, bacon-wrapped figs work, but Bacon and Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles would be hard-pressed to create 'irresistible enticement' in even the heartiest of carnivores." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

< p> "Bacon, the ultimate flavor enhancer, is celebrated heremore than ever by prolific cookbook author James Villas."< BR> & #151; BOBBY FLAY, Chef/Owner, Mesa Grill, Bar Americain & Bobby Flay Steak

Bacon. It's crispy, salty, smoky, sweet . . . and totally irresistible. Renowned food writer James Villas offers 168 intriguing ways to savor the flavor of everyone's favorite meat, ranging across America and around the globe. You'll find familiar favorites like Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Cobb Salad as well as more exotic but equally delectable fare, such as California Hangtown Fry and Portuguese Egg and Bacon pudding. Illustrated with beautiful color photographs throughout and featuring sources for today's best artisanal and international bacon, The Bacon Cookbook is your guide to a world of bacon possibilities and pleasures.

"Bacon, the ultimate flavor enhancer, is celebrated heremore than ever by prolific cookbook author James Villas."

—BOBBY FLAY, Chef/Owner, Mesa Grill, Bar Americain &Bobby Flay Steak

Crispy, salty, smoky, sweet—who can resist the allure of bacon? Certainly not food writer extraordinaire James Villas, who's been beguiled by bacon since he was a boy. Now, in this paean to pork bellies, Villas offers 168 ways to savor the flavor of bacon—and proves once and for all that bacon makes every meal better.

Ranging across America and around the globe, Villas gives you scores of intriguing and delicious ways to enjoy bacon that will take you well beyond familiar favorites such as Cobb salad, quiche Lorraine, and spaghetti alla carbonara (though you'll find delectable versions of all of these dishes in the book). You can sample enticing American regional specialties like California Hangtown Fry and Iowa Bacon and Onion Casserole Bread, or feast on a wide range of toothsome international dishes, including Swiss Potato and Bacon Cake, Irish Hot Pot, Philippine Adobo, Chinese Lion's Head, Equadorian Pumpkin Soup, and Portuguese Egg and Bacon Pudding. With recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, soups, salads, sandwiches, casseroles, stews, main courses, vegetables, pasta and rice, and even desserts, you'll discover just how versatile—and forever satisfying—bacon can be.

In recent years, the variety and quality of most supermarket bacon have improved immensely, and many premium American artisanal bacons, as well as delicious fo-reign ones, are now available at finer out-lets and online. Villas provides a complete taxonomy of today's bacon, explaining varieties such as French ventrèche and German Speck and explicating the differences between American, Canadian, Irish, and Chinese lop yuk bacon. Best of all, he offers a complete list of sources to help you discover this world of bacon delights.

If health concerns sometimes make you feel guilty about loving bacon, Villas urges you to relax. Yes, it's high in sodium and fat, but if eaten in moderation or used as a flavoring agent, as it is in many recipes in the book, bacon is a guilt-free indulgence. Illustrated with more than forty sizzling color photographs and featuring Villas's inimitable recipe notes and incisive cooking tips, The Bacon Cookbookwill be an indispensable kitchen companion as you explore bacon's many possibilities and pleasures.

James Villaswas the food and wine editor of Town & Countrymagazine for twenty-seven years. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Saveur, the New York Times, and the Atlantic Monthly, among other publications. Two of his cookbooks have been nominated for a James Beard Award, he has won two James Beard Awards for journalism, and he received Bon Appétit's Food Writer of the Year Award in 2004. Villas is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks and books on food, including My Mother's Southern Kitchen, Crazy for Casseroles, Between Bites, Stalking the Green Fairy, and, most recently, The Glory of Southern Cooking.

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