kghose > wrote:

> I live in Maryland, in the United States. I am looking for a easily
> available substitute for Speck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speck).
> Does anyone have any ideas what it could be and where I could get it?

"Speck", in German(y), is a fairly generic name. It is fat and meat
located under animal's (normally pig's) skin, usually of belly, back, or
leg. There are many kinds, mainly distinguished by whether or not they
are cured or smoked or both, as well as by the ratio of meat to fat,
from none at all to a lot (i.e. it can be rather lean or mostly fat).
Consistency can vary between chewy and melt-in-the-mouth. Depending on
the kind of Speck, it can be substituted by slab bacon, streaky bacon,
smoked ham, or the Italian pancetta.

Victor