It is believed that plantains originated in Southeast Asia; Alexander the Great discovered the fruit in 327 B.C. and took it to Europe. Plantains also went from India to Madagascar from India and to Malaysia via Arab trade. Bacon can be traced back to 1500 B.C. During that time, the Chinese used salt to cure pork bellies, which resulted in early versions of bacon. The Ancient Romans also prepared an early version of bacon, which they referred to as “petaso”. Anglo-Saxon peasants used bacon and bacon fat extensively in their cooking throughout medieval times. It has been speculated that the word “bacon” could have been derived from various sources, mainly the French word “bako” and the Germanic word “bakkon”. Both refer to the back of the pig. The word “bacoun” or bacon was used to refer to all kinds of pork only in the 16th century. The 17th century saw the use of “bacon” with regards to smoked and salted pork as we know it today.