Did you know that the average American eats about 18 pounds of bacon per year? That’s right - 18 pounds! Bacon is such a popular staple in American’s lives that we have even dedicated the entire day of September 3rd to it, known as International Bacon Day. While everyone knows that bacon is absolutely delicious, there are quite a few fascinating tidbits about the candy of meats that you may not know. Luckily, we here at Cypress have compiled the most interesting facts to get you in the know!

1. The flavorful meat that is bacon originated in China way back in 1500 B.C, making it one of the oldest processed meats. They began preserving and salting pork bellies which led to what we now know as bacon today.

2. Oscar Mayer patented the first packaged sliced bacon in the year 1924, and it remains the second best-selling bacon brand in the U.S (Private Label tops the list).

3. Although bacon is clearly loved all around the country, the city of New York tops the list of the most bacon sold, closely followed by Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Baltimore.

4. Bacon is so popular that its scrumptious flavor is now used in a fascinating variety of products, including toothpaste, vodka, and popcorn. Yes, vodka. You can actually drink bacon!

5. People don’t like to be without their bacon! More than half of all households in the U.S keep bacon in their fridge at all times.

6. The micronutrient “choline”, found in bacon, is possibly linked to higher intelligence levels in children. If you needed a reason for you and your family to indulge in the meaty deliciousness of bacon, there you go!

7. Bacon is addictive! There’s a scientific reason behind why bacon is so popular - it contains ‘umami,” which consists of glutamate and amino acids that give bacon a mouth-watering and savory taste.

8. Interestingly, bacon bits don’t include bacon. They are actually simply soy flour, soybean oil, salt, and dried yeast that are made to emulate bacon’s taste. Who knew?