flitch

Flitch refers to a side of bacon before it is smoked or cured. It is essentially the pork belly and loin of a pig. The term is most commonly used in the context of bacon production, where a flitch is the piece of pork that will be transformed into bacon. Historically, it could also refer to a slab of cured meat, often bacon, that was hung for storage. The word has Old English origins, related to words meaning "flat" or "slab." In some older culinary contexts, "flitch" could also be used more broadly to describe a thin slice of any meat, though its primary association remains with bacon. The process of making bacon involves curing the flitch, typically with salt and sometimes other seasonings like sugar, pepper, or nitrates, followed by smoking. This curing and smoking process preserves the meat and develops its characteristic flavor and texture. While "flitch" specifically denotes the uncooked state, it is intrinsically linked to the final product of bacon.