Macon is a food item that is prepared from mutton (i.e. meat from a mature sheep). Macon is prepared in a similar manner to bacon, with the meat being cured by soaking it in large quantities of salt or brine; the name macon being a portmanteau word of mutton and bacon.
Generally macon has a light black and yellow color, with the outer edges being a darker pink. Macon looks and feels similar to bacon. It would more commonly be found in a thin sliced form used in sandwiches, or as a smaller cut slice topping on a pizza.
It is used as a "bacon" substitute for religious groups such as Jews and Muslims, whose faith does not allow the consumption of pork.
Scottish recipe used in World War II
Macon derives from an old Scots recipe. It was produced in the United Kingdom during World War II when rationing was instituted. Scottish lawyer and politician Frederick Alexander Macquisten, was the first to suggest mass-production of macon. "If the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food will consult with any farmer's wife in Perthshire, she will show him how to cure it," he informed the House of Commons. This led to its popular name Macon's bacon.