And now it's time for Who's Smarty?
Psst. Smarty pants, do you recognize that sound?
Even though it's technically impossible to smell something through a podcast, I bet lots of you can imagine the scent right now.
Especially if you're one of the millions of people who enjoy slices of the thick, meaty, crispy, fatty, often fried meat we know and love.
IT 'S BACON! That's right!
It's bacon! Bacon is a treat that's enjoyed by millions of people around the world.
Smarty pants, any idea which country is the most bacon crazy?
IT 'S BACON! Is it Denmark, the United States, or Germany?
Well, you may think the USA, home of the Baconator, and Baconzilla would be the world's number one bacon consumer, but you'd be wrong.
The biggest bacon -eating nation in the world is actually Denmark.
Who knew? By some estimates, the average person in Denmark eats roughly 25 pounds or 11 kilograms of bacon each year!
In fact, Denmark is the only country in the world where people are outnumbered by the animal that traditional bacon comes from.
And smarty pants, what animal is that?
Is it A. Cows? B. Chickens?
Or C. Pigs? If you said C, pigs let out a squeal.
In Denmark, there are more than twice as many pigs as people.
And as such, Denmark is known for its delicious bacon.
IT 'S BACON! Smarty pants, true or false?
Bacon was invented in Denmark.
The answer is… false.
So where does bacon come from?
What makes it so tasty and craveable?
And what are some unusual ways to get bacon?
It's time for a whiff of science, history, and dancing!
Dancing? No, no, no, no.
That's Kevin Bacon, star of Footloose.
Whoops, my bad. Sorry smarties.
No dancing. Just a whiff of science, history, and sizzling bacon on… Hey smarty!
Who's smarted? Who's smart?
Is it you? Is it me?
Is it science? Or history?
Listen up! Everyone, we make smarting lots of fun on who's smarted.
Hey smarty pants. If you love solving brain -teasing riddles, puzzles, and problems, have I got something fun for you.
The secret order of Problem Solvers from the podcast Mysteries About True Histories is actively recruiting new members to help stop the troublemaking trolls.
If you think you're up to the challenge and have what it takes to be a problem solver too, then check out our riddles, puzzles, and problems.
Riddles, puzzles, and problems are mini episodes that play in the same podcast feed as Mysteries About True Histories with new episodes every Tuesday for you to play along with.
That's double the adventure, fun, and problem solving each week with new episodes of riddles, puzzles, and problems on Tuesday and Mysteries About True Histories on Thursdays.
Just search Mysteries About True Histories on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Smarty Pants. If you're a bacon lover, like me, when do you most often have it?
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
If you said breakfast, you're not alone.
More than half of all the bacon sold is eaten at breakfast with eggs being bacon's most popular dance partner.
Will you stop with the footloosing?
Sorry. Like I was saying, bacon and eggs go together like who and smarted.
But bacon also makes lots of cameo appearances on hamburgers, in salads, wrapped around scallops, as a pizza topping with veggies, in soups, and even in some desserts, including bacon -flavored ice cream.
But what exactly is bacon?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, traditional bacon comes from a pig.
But the bacon most people eat today doesn't come from just any part of the pig.
It usually comes from the side or belly of a pig.
Unless it's Canadian bacon.
That bacon comes from the back of the pig called the loin.
Some argue that bacon from a pig's back isn't really bacon at all, but rather smoked pork loin, even though the word bacon has its roots in French and German words meaning back, as well as the word meaning buttocks.
I knew that was coming.
What can I say? It's a reflex.
Anyway, to become bacon, the pig meat, either from the side or loin, must be cured.
Take your medicine and you'll be up and dancing around like Kevin Bacon and Footloose in no time.
What? No, no, not that bacon, and not that kind of cured.
Smarty Pants, do you know what it means to cure meat?
Is it A, preserve it for future use?
B, remove germs from it?
Or C, make it sing?
If you said A, preserve it, you're right.
And there are two methods typically used to preserve bacon meat.
Dry curing by rubbing salt and spices on the meat.
And wet curing by injecting or submerging the meat in salty water called brine.
Which, if you remember our Who Smarted episode on pickling, is how pickles are made from cucumbers.
After waiting a period of time, sometimes up to a couple of weeks, the meat is often smoked to increase its flavor.
And then you basically have...
Now, here comes the big question.
Who invented bacon?
Was it A, the ancient Romans?
B, the ancient Chinese?
C, Oscar Meyer? Or D, Kevin Bacon?
If you answered D, I'll give you points for recognizing talent.
But no. Answer C, Oscar Meyer is close, since the Oscar Meyer company invented modern pre -sliced packaged bacon.
Answer A is also close as the Romans ate cured meat similar to bacon, which they called patasso.
However, bacon came before that, as it's believed to have been invented over 3 ,000 years ago by the ancient Chinese.
Bacon is truly one of the world's oldest processed meats.
It's bacon! So first, the Chinese had bacon, and then it was enjoyed by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Eventually, bacon spread to England, France, and Germany.
Bacon became incredibly popular in medieval times, during the age of kings, queens, knights, and peasants.
Since it's a delicious source of protein that's cheap, easy to make, and lasts a long time before going bad.
It's during this time the word bacon entered the English language, though it was a bit confusing at first, since bacon originally referred to all pork products!
Good evening. Are you ready to order?
Yes, I'd like the bacon with a side of bacon.
Ooh, and some bacon on top.
Excellent choices. And you say?
I don't know, I can't decide between the bacon or the bacon.
Ah, you know what? I think I'll just go with the bacon.
Oh, and two bacons to drink, please.
Fortunately, by the age of exploration, the definition of bacon was narrowed to just the familiar strips of salty meat.
Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, the so -called father of the American pork industry, brought 13 domesticated pigs to present -day Florida in 1539.
And there they multiplied.
Smarty Pants, can you guess how many pigs were in de Soto's herd just three years later?
50? 100? 200? Not even close.
In three years, that herd of 13 pigs grew to 700.
Woo hoo! And those pigs traveled, reaching New York by 1653.
From then until sometime in the 1800s, pigs ran wild throughout the island of Manhattan.
And with all those pigs came...
It's bacon! And now bacon was being mass -produced.
A businessman in England named John Harris set up the first bacon factory in the 1770s, and similar plants soon appeared in the US, churning out lots and lots and lots of bacon.
In 1883, German brothers Gottfried and Oskar Meyer opened their first meat -packing plant in Chicago.
And in 1924, the Oskar -Meyer company began selling its patented pre -sliced packaged bacon, cementing the USA as a major player in the bacon business.
In the 1940s, bacon became part of American efforts to win World War II with a campaign starring Disney's Minnie Mouse and Pluto.
You know, how did you like them delicious?
How's bacon, dude? Boy, how could bacon help win World War II?
Smarty Pants was bacon used as a camouflage.
That's it, men! Wrap yourselves in bacon!
They won't know what hit them!
Be a muscle booster.
Attention! Everyone drop and give me 50 slices of bacon!
Or C, weapons! Bacon's away!
It's bacon! If you guessed C, you're right.
But don't worry, your bacon and eggs won't explode.
It wasn't the bacon itself that was used in the war, but the bacon grease.
That's the popping, hot, liquid fat that comes off the bacon as you cook it.
It seems bacon grease can be used to make a type of alcohol called glycerin, which in turn is used to make explosives.
That's why the army urged people to donate their bacon grease during World War II.
Save waste fats to make explosives.
Of course, these days bacon isn't associated with explosives, unless you mean the explosion of flavor you taste whenever you eat some.
Oh, bacon. And there's not just one way to have it.
We'll look at some of the wildest ways to enjoy this amazing food!
It's bacon! Right after this quick break.
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Now back to Who Smarted.
SmartyPants. If you enjoy a slice of bacon, you might realize it's hard to stop at just one strip.
Food researchers say people crave foods containing salt, sugar, or fats.
And how many of those do you think bacon has, SmartyPants?
If you said all three, your brain is cooking.
Besides having salt, sugar, and fats, bacon also has a strong, savory, or umami taste, which can be pretty irresistible.
Add in bacon's distinctive smoky smell, and your brain goes wild.
It's bacon! Food researchers say bacon contains the perfect combination of ingredients that makes your brain want more.
But should you really have another slice?
SmartyPants, true or false?
Bacon is nutritious.
The answer is true.
Bacon contains protein, six different B vitamins, and healthy minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and choline, which helps keep your brain healthy.
Also, about half the fats in bacon are mono -unsaturated, which are known to be good for the heart.
So, SmartyPants, with all that in mind, true or false?
Bacon is not so good for you.
The answer is, sadly, also true.
Ahhhh. Bacon has a high amount of sodium, aka salt, cholesterol, and unhealthy fats.
Some bacon also contains chemicals that keep it from going bad.
All of these things together have been known to cause weight gain, heart disease, and other illnesses.
And all those nutrients found in bacon?
Well, they can also be found in other, healthier meats.
But hope isn't lost.
As with most treats, a little bit of bacon in moderation is A -OK.
Nutritionists say you shouldn't eat bacon every day.
But if you mostly eat healthy foods, a little bit of bacon here and there shouldn't harm you.
It's bacon! And cooking bacon in an air fryer or the oven helps reduce the fatty grease, which brings us to the many ways to enjoy it, because bacon isn't just for breakfast.
There's BLT sandwiches made of bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
Personally, I make a mean BLTA with avocado.
You can add bacon bits to salads, mac and cheese, baked potatoes, baked beans, and Brussels sprouts.
You can also find bacon in chocolate, in cupcakes, and even in lollipops.
Some people enjoy bacon mayonnaise, bacon -wrapped hot dogs, and bacon -topped donuts.
Some ice cream shops serve bacon ice cream.
If the bacon flavor or smell is all you need, there's bacon toothpaste, bacon gum, bacon soap, bacon air fresheners, and bacon lip balm.
Whoa. And if you're one of the many people who don't eat pork, there are versions of bacon made with turkey, beef, duck, salmon, or even vegetables.
It's bacon! Yep, I'm making bacon in my air fryer right now, but until it's ready, there's just one thing to do.
Dance! ["Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"] A big shout out to Super Smarty fan, Jade, in Irvine, California.
We're very happy to hear how much fun you have listening to Who Smarted?
And the best part is, you're learning too.
Keep on smarting, smarty pants.
This episode, bacon, was written by Dave BaconBits -Boudrie, and voiced by Adam Air -Fried Davis, Max Crispy -Kamaskey, Eleanor Pernoss, and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Turkey -Bacon -Han.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our Associate Producer is Max Kamasky.
The theme song is by Brian Sizzling Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Text -Davis, Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Text -Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production.
Who Smarted. Who Smarted.
Star Glo.
