I was writing a post about bacon for someone’s website this morning and it got me thinking about the bacon barm debate, which is an age-old controversy that can spark arguments in pubs across the UK. So, is it a bacon barm, a bacon muffin, a bacon bap, a bacon butty, a bacon roll, or a bacon sandwich?
What is The Bacon Barm Debate?
I am from Lancashire, England, and the image above shows what we call a bacon barm. ‘The word ‘barm’ is an abbreviation of barmcake. Most people in Lancashire would refer to having a bacon barm for their breakfast rather than using any other terminology. However. people from other areas of the country are not familiar with this vernacular and use a variety of other words to describe this delicious snack and, in most cases, I disagree with their choice of words.
Unacceptable Alternatives (In My Opinion)
I particularly don’t like it when people refer to having a bacon muffin. Surely a muffin is a cake? Similarly, I dislike the use of the term bacon bap. This is mainly because baps is a slang term for women’s breasts in the UK. Another poor option is bacon bun. I was brought up to call small fairy cakes buns, so this doesn’t seem right either. In some parts of the country, they refer to it as a bacon teacake. Where I am from, a teacake is a sweet bread with currents that are toasted and served with butter.
Acceptable Alternatives (In My Opinion)
The two that I can understand and don’t mind hearing are bacon rolls and bacon sandwiches. However, I do still have an issue with these and it specifically relates to the type of bread used. To me, a bread roll is much firmer and smaller than a barmcake. People use the word sandwich as a general term to describe bread with a filling. I would argue that a sandwich is made using two slices of bread from a loaf.
I had to get this off my chest. Perhaps I have too much time on my hands this morning. What do you call a bacon barm?
Social Media Feedback on the Bacon Barm Debate
I have posted a link to this article on several social media platforms, including Twitter and our Purple Mermaid Media Facebook page (feel free to give us a like!). Itis probably the article that has created the most discussion.
At first, the response seemed to indicate that their was a north-south divide. Those from the northern partsof the UK predominantly agreed that it is called a bacon barm, while southerners gave varied responses.
However, there were some northerners who caused controversy on my posts about the bacon barm debate, by claiming they call it either a bacon muffin or a bacon roll. Those with these repsonses were predominantly from the Burnley, Blackburn, and Manchester areas.
It was a surprise to me that people in Burnley and Blackburn did not call it a bacon barm, as I was born in Burnley before moving to the coast, and I also have family in the Blackburn area.
Overall, geography seems to have a significant impact on whether people call it a bacon barm or use another term for this delicious snack. Therefore, I am finally putting an end to the bacon barm debate.
Updated by the author on 28/09/2020.