MARK A. JOHNSON, from Milwaukee, earned a PhD in history from the University of Alabama. Previously, he earned an MA from the University of Maryland and BA from Purdue University. He currently teaches at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the author of An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue: From Wood Pit to White Sauce and Rough Tactics: Black Performance in Political Spectacle, 1877–1932.

American Bacon is a delicious read that serves up many crispy, enjoyable, and surprising bits of culinary history. It's a fascinating look at how changing perceptions transformed this particular preserved meat from a lowly staple item into an enduring food celebrity.

MARK A. JOHNSON, from Milwaukee, earned a PhD in history from the University of Alabama. Previously, he earned an MA from the University of Maryland and BA from Purdue University. He currently teaches at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the author of An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue: From Wood Pit to White Sauce and Rough Tactics: Black Performance in Political Spectacle, 1877–1932.

American Bacon is a delicious read that serves up many crispy, enjoyable, and surprising bits of culinary history. It's a fascinating look at how changing perceptions transformed this particular preserved meat from a lowly staple item into an enduring food celebrity.

MARK A. JOHNSON, from Milwaukee, earned a PhD in history from the University of Alabama. Previously, he earned an MA from the University of Maryland and BA from Purdue University. He currently teaches at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the author of An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue: From Wood Pit to White Sauce and Rough Tactics: Black Performance in Political Spectacle, 1877–1932.

American Bacon is a delicious read that serves up many crispy, enjoyable, and surprising bits of culinary history. It's a fascinating look at how changing perceptions transformed this particular preserved meat from a lowly staple item into an enduring food celebrity.