Plaigerized from Wikipedia:
Canadian bacon (or
Canadian-style bacon) is the term commonly used in the United States for a form of back bacon that is cured, smoked and fully cooked, trimmed into cylindrical medallions, and sliced thick. The name was created when this product was first imported from Toronto to New York City. "Canadian" bacon is made only from the lean eye of the loin and is ready to eat. Its flavor is described as more ham-like than other types because of its lean cut.
The term "Canadian bacon" is not used in Canada, where bacon made from pork loin is known as "back bacon" while "bacon" alone refers to the same streaky pork belly bacon as in the United States. Peameal bacon is a variety of back bacon popular in Ontario where the loin is wet cured before being rolled in cornmeal (originally yellow pea meal); it is unsmoked.
en.wikipedia.org