From all the publicity that bacon has been garnering through the Internet, that fatty and savory cut of meat has become a celebrity of its own.  Don’t you see it? We’ve created a monster!  If this keeps on going, bacon might be labeled as the world’s most versatile food.

New bacon-based products, flavors, and spin-offs have resurrected a  bacon revolution.  Most people would tell you that they are a bacon connoisseur in some form or another.  They would tell you that they would eat bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if they could.  It’s amazing how a simple cut of meat can manifest so much pork-loving pride in an individual.

As it might seem that bacon is taking the world by storm, it in no way should be associated as a trend.  Bacon has been around for centuries, and unless all the pigs go extinct, bacon is here to stay.  Just think of how much the last pig on earth would be worth?  It’s mind-boggling.

No, bacon isn’t some fad that we hop on and off of.   Instead it’s the application of bacon that has been gaining popularity.  Some of these applications often do strike an odd note, hit our funny bones, or make us think, “Wow, that’s genius, why didn’t I think of that?”  The versatility of bacon has kept pork sales up, although sales have recently been impacted by fears of a potential H1N1 swine flew pandemic.

According to the US National Pork Board, bacon sales grew by 15% between 2002 and 2007.  Citing a different source, the American Farm Bureau noted that bacon sales were up 10% in 2008 and total sales reached $2.1 billion.  Despite the diet fads and public messages on reducing meat consumption, bacon has managed to evade them all.  Even the recession doesn’t seem to have a negative impact on sales.  Ah, bacon…recession proof and diet proof.

Sifting through the Internet for bacon-themed websites is daunting.  It’s saturated with bacon blogs and there seem to be new ones popping up every second.  Bacon has made its way into cakes, chocolate, beer, vodka, mayonnaise, ice cream, and salt.  There’s even the Turbaconducken, which is a turducken wrapped in bacon.  Then there’s the BA-K-47, a 1:1 scale replica of an AK-47 assault rifle made completely out of bacon.  The creator spent 8 hours making it with packs of bacon and a blow torch.  Bacon-themed products have also made their way to the masses: bacon lip balm, bacon air fresheners, bacon wallets, even a bacon suit…you get the idea.  Heather Lauer, creator of the bacon blog, Bacon Unwrapped, has professed her love of what she calls, “the best meat ever,” in her recently published book, ‘Bacon:  A Love Story.’  I picked up a copy and when I’m finished, I’ll post a review.

Bacon…maybe it’s time to classify bacon as a superfood.