The bacon has become a popular dish in the Czech lands since Austria-Hungary. But since then, his recipe has changed. See what the differences are between the current specs on the market and how they would stand up to previous standards.
The TN.cz editorial staff compared špekáčky according to the information on the labels, and also included sandwiches and špekáčky with cheese. The best ones reached more than 90 percent of the meat, while on the opposite side were placed sausages that do not contain even half of the meat.
At the top are Farmer’s bacon from Rýznar with 95 percent meat, of which about three quarters are pork, the rest beef. The fat content is rather higher, reaching 35 percent, and not so much salt. Miroslavské špekáčky from Naše Miroslav also have over 90 percent meat. Over 80 percent and above received several sausages.
On the contrary, Masna Rosovice has the least meat at its bacon. Beelzebub bacon has only 42 percent meat, plus 28 percent lard. Only a little better is the bacon from Kostelecké uzenin. Out of a total of three products, only one got to 50 percent, the others have below.
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Among the fattest špekáčky are Farmer’s špekáčky from Múúú Písek, which have 41.7 grams of fat per 100 grams. Špekáčky from Kostelecké uzeniny have the most salt, namely 2.4 grams per 100 grams, while Špekáčky with cheese from Váhala have the least salt with a value of 1.4 grams per 100 grams. Of the classic špekáčky, these are Špekáčky extra 1978 from H&H Řeznictví with 1.7 grams per 100 grams.
The first recipe for bacon dates from 1891, when it contained 50 percent beef back meat, 20 percent pork cutout without skin and 30 percent bacon. The first standard for bacon was published in 1961. According to it, they should not contain more than 33 percent fat and 48 percent water.
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The standard was updated in 1977. Fat could be up to 42 percent, water a maximum of 52 percent. The salt was supposed to be 2.2 percent plus or minus 0.6 percent. According to a 1977 recipe, bacon was to contain 17.5 percent pork, 17 percent bacon and 38.5 percent beef, making a total of no more than 73 percent meat.
Other recipes for špekáčky according to Czechoslovak standards state 58.9 kilos of pork and beef, in addition to 1.5 kilos of pork skin and 27 kilos of lard. The selective špekáčky had a total of 68 kilos of pork and beef, plus 30 kilos of lard. The recipes are presented by both Řeznicko-uzenářské noviny from 2014 and Václav Šedivý in the book Czech Meat Products.
Špekáčků is also covered by the Czech decree updated in 2016. Only beef, veal and pork can be used for production. It must contain at least 40 percent meat and a maximum of 45 percent fat. Mechanically separated meat cannot be used.
Many current špekáčky would survive compared to previous standards and recipes, and have significantly more meat. The group of about the same size has less meat, in some cases it barely reached two thirds of the values according to Czechoslovak standards. It is so good to carefully monitor what values are stated on the label.
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