Peameal bacon is Ontario’s signature cured meat, invented in Toronto in the 1850s by pork packer William Davies, who rolled his sweet-pickled back bacon in ground peas to keep it fresh. The pea coating became cornmeal over the years, but the recipe is otherwise unchanged: a lean pork loin, brined in a sugar-salt pickle until pink and juicy, then rolled in cornmeal. It’s the dish that made Toronto the pork capital of British North America, and it remains a staple of the city’s markets and Sunday breakfasts.
What makes it great is how different it is from regular bacon — lean, juicy, and subtly sweet from the brine, with a crackly cornmeal crust that turns golden in the pan or oven. Unlike smoked bacon, peameal is uncured beyond the brine, so it’s mild enough to eat thick-sliced like a steak. Roast it whole for a holiday centrepiece or slice and fry it for breakfast — either way, it’s pure Ontario on a plate.
