The Canon

Peameal Bacon Sandwich

Peameal Bacon Sandwichen

Also: Toronto sandwich, Back bacon sandwich, Cornmeal bacon sandwich

A Canadian sandwich of pan-fried peameal (cornmeal-crusted, brine-cured lean back bacon) piled on a soft kaiser bun, emblematic of Toronto's St. Lawrence Market.

Identity criteria

  1. 1Peameal bacon: wet-cured boneless pork loin rolled in cornmeal (historically ground yellow peas), not smoked
  2. 2The bacon is sliced thick and griddled, staying lean and tender, not crispy like streaky bacon
  3. 3Served on a soft kaiser/round bun, generously stacked
  4. 4Minimal adornment so the meat is the star (mustard is the classic condiment)
  5. 5Strongly associated with Toronto's St. Lawrence Market as a signature local food

Components

Base

Soft kaiser bunessential

Protein

Peameal bacon (cornmeal-rolled cured pork loin)essentialLean back bacon, brine-cured and cornmeal-coated; the defining element

Fat

Butter/oil for griddling the baconoptional

Seasoning

MustardoptionalClassic condiment; honey or yellow mustard common

Garnish

Optional: lettuce, tomato, onion, picklesoptional

Technique

Griddling/pan-frying the bacon slices
Warms and lightly browns the lean cured loin while keeping it tender

Form & serving

Served
Stacked on a bun, eaten by hand
Temperature
Hot
Portion
One generous sandwich
Pairs with
mustard · coffee · pickles

Character

Flavour

savourysaltymildly tangy

Texture

Tender lean bacon with a slight cornmeal edge on a soft bun

Eaten

An everyday Toronto breakfast/lunch icon, most famously eaten at St. Lawrence Market.

When

year-round

Variations & related

Regional variations

  • St. Lawrence Market classic · Toronto, Canada

    The iconic market version, often just bacon, bun, and mustard

  • Loaded version · Various

    With egg, cheese, or vegetables added

Related dishes

  • sibling Bacon sandwich (British)

    Another bacon-on-bread sandwich, but with streaky/back bacon

  • pairs-with Mustard

    The classic condiment

Substitutions

  • Peameal (cornmeal-cured back bacon) → Regular smoked streaky baconinadmissible

    Loses the lean, unsmoked cornmeal-crusted identity entirely

  • Kaiser bun → Other soft round rolladmissible

    Acceptable bread swap

  • Mustard → Other condimentadmissible

    Personal preference; mustard is traditional

Common mistakes

  • Using smoked streaky bacon instead of cornmeal-cured back bacon
  • Overcooking the lean loin until dry
  • Overloading toppings so the bacon flavour is lost
  • Using a hard or crusty bread instead of a soft bun

Provenance

A Toronto specialty tied to St. Lawrence Market; peameal bacon itself is a Canadian cure originally coated in ground yellow peas, later cornmeal.

Claimed by: Canada

References

  1. 1.Toronto / St. Lawrence Market culinary tradition
  2. 2.Canadian food references

Confidence: high