A Tradition Born in Toronto!
How a Local Butcher Tradition Became a Canadian Classic.
The Canadian History of Peameal
Peameal bacon is one of Toronto’s most recognizable food traditions. Its story takes us back to the mid-1800s, when English butcher William Davies arrived in Toronto and began selling cured pork at what is now St. Lawrence Market. In a time before modern refrigeration, keeping meat fresh was part craft and part necessity.
Boneless pork loin was cured in brine and rolled in ground yellow peas, creating a protective coating that helped retain moisture and preserve the meat. The preparation became known as peameal bacon and quickly became part of the city’s butcher tradition. Decades later, cornmeal replaced the ground peas, but the name and the Toronto story behind never disappeared.
What Is Peameal Bacon?
Peameal bacon is a distinctly Canadian cut, most commonly found in Ontario and Eastern Canada. Unlike traditional side bacon, which comes from the pork belly, peameal is made from the loin—the same cut used for back bacon. The loin is wet cured in a brine of salt, sugar, and spices before being rolled in cornmeal, creating its unmistakable golden coating. It is never smoked, which gives peameal bacon its milder, ham-like flavour and sets it apart from the bacon most people are used to.
The Butcher Shoppe Way
For us, making peameal bacon starts with how the loin is prepared. We use locally raised Duroc pork and trim the loin to a 0×0, short-cut specification, removing the chain and surrounding irregular pieces so what remains is the clean, uniform eye of the loin. That gives us a more consistent shape and allows for thick, even slices from end to end.
From there, we control the brine carefully so the cure seasons the pork without overpowering it. The goal is balance, enough salt and seasoning to develop the classic peameal character, while still letting the flavour of the pork come through. It’s a recipe we’ve stayed true to since 1984!
Peameal Bacon, Three Ways
Peameal bacon is a Canadian classic for a reason.
We took one whole roast and showed three different ways to make the most of it.
A Classic Peameal Breakfast
The Peameal Steak
