Peameal bacon is brine-cured pork loin rolled in cornmeal, sliced thick and griddled. Toronto's signature sandwich stacks it on a soft kaiser with mustard at the St Lawrence Market counter.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Peameal bacon was developed in 1850s Toronto by William Davies for British export. Davies's Toronto pork-packing plant became the largest in the British Empire, earning the city the nickname Hogtown. Originally rolled in dried yellow pea meal as a preservative, the coating shifted to cornmeal in the 20th century. The peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market has been the city's signature counter since 1977 under the Biancolin family, awarded the Toronto Signature Sandwich in 2016.
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. Buy peameal bacon from a butcher; supermarket plastic-wrapped is brined too lightly. The kaiser must be soft; sourdough breaks the balance.
Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market runs the city's reference peameal bacon sandwich for $9 since 1977, the Biancolin family's counter Key to the City.
Try: Peameal bacon sandwich, $9
Order: The peameal bacon sandwich on a kaiser with whatever mustards you choose.
Tip: Closed Mondays with the market. Cash and card; the line moves quickly.
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