tocino

{{Short description|Crunchy strips of skin and bacon cut from pork loin}}

Tocino is bacon in Spanish,{{cite book | last1=Wilson | first1=C. | last2=Trotter | first2=C. | title=The Whole Hog: recipes and lore for everything but the oink | publisher=Pavilion Books | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-909108-37-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aJm_CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT137 | access-date=January 4, 2020 | page=pt137}} typically made from the pork belly and often formed into cubes in Spain. In Caribbean countries, such as Puerto Rico and Cuba, tocino is made from pork fatback and is neither cured nor smoked but simply fried until very crunchy; it is then added to recipes, much like the way lardons are used in French cuisine. In the Philippines, tocino refers to sweetened and cured pork belly.{{cite news|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/660036/what-makes-tocino-an-all-time-favorite-filipino-food/story/?amp/|title=What makes tocino an all-time favorite Filipino food|date=July 12, 2018|work=GMA News|access-date=March 27, 2019}}

Spain

File:Tocino de cerdo-2006.jpeg

In Spain, as in Venezuela (where bacon is "tocineta"), the word tocino refers to the layer of fat under a pig's skin. It is almost pure fat, and is often salted and cut into cubes. It is consumed as part of traditional recipes such as cocido.{{cite web | url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/everything-you-have-wanted-to-know-about-filipino-food | title=Everything you ought to know about Filipino food | the Straits Times | date=May 4, 2017 }}

Philippines

File:Pork tocino with eggs, rice, and atchara (typical Filipino breakfast).jpg composed of tocino, fried eggs, sinangág (garlic fried rice), with atchara (pickled papaya) as a side dish]]

In making tocino in the Philippines, the pork belly meat is first sliced into thin strips. Anise wine, annatto, water, sugar, and salt are combined in a container, and the meat strips are sprinkled with the mixture and stacked in a container, which is covered and refrigerated for three days to cure.{{cite news|url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1780598|title=A full Filipino breakfast|last=Lumawag|first=Reuel John|date=December 29, 2018|work=Sun Star|access-date=March 27, 2019}} In an alternate recipe, the meat strips are marinated with salt, sugar, and salitre (saltpetre), and pineapple juice may be added for a slightly tart flavor.{{Cn|date=August 2021}}

Tocino is traditionally boiled in water (just enough to cover the meat), fried in oil, or cooked over medium heat until the fat is rendered. The Kapampangans (kapampangan: Pindang) who make tocino by simmering it for four to six hours in order to achieve thickness and softness in the meat, then leave it overnight at room temperature before serving it as burong baboy (fermented pork).{{Cn|date=August 2021}}

Tocino is often served as the popular breakfast or lunchtime combination called tosilog, which name is a portmanteau of tocino, sinangág (garlic rice) and itlóg (egg, which is cooked either sunny-side up or scrambled).{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/restaurants/ct-redeye-worth-a-trip-tosilog-kubo-20171204-story.html|title=Worth a trip: This sticky-garlic-salty Filipino hangover cure|last=Nagrant|first=Michael|date=December 12, 2017|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=March 27, 2019}}

Caribbean

Tocino is cut into small squares and fried until crunchy and added to recipes like mofongo and arroz blanco con tocino, "white rice and tocino". In Cuba, it can be added to soft bread.{{Cn|date=August 2021}}

Central America

In Nicaragua, tocino is prepared in a few ways. The most common is when it is marinated in achiote, naranja agria, and vinegar and then added to the Nacatamal. It cooks inside of the nacatamal via vapor.{{cite news |last=Munguía |first=Carol |date=April 29, 2017 |url=https://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/426167-chinandega-produce-nacatamal-mas-grande-nicaragua |title=Chinandega produces the largest nacatamal in Nicaragua |lang=es |newspaper=El Nuevo Diario |url-status=usurped |archive-date=November 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130034232/https://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/426167-chinandega-produce-nacatamal-mas-grande-nicaragua/ }}

United States

The Hormel Foods Corporation makes a Filipino tocino-flavored version of their SPAM product for sale in supermarkets.{{cite news|url=https://www.marketing-interactive.com/spam-tocino-new-product|title=Yes, there is Spam Tocino|date=March 10, 2014|work=Marketing Interactive|access-date=May 5, 2020}}