Question: How Did Tocino Del Cielo Get Its Name?
By: Alisa Escanlar
Published: February 19, 2010

I was always curious why they called it tocino del cielo when this dessert doesn't have any meat in it? Can anyone tell me why they named the dish this way. Thanks!

Answers:
Sheri Wetherell

This is just a guess, but Tocino del Cielo means "Bacon from Heaven" in Spanish, so I'm assuming that the dessert is so good it means you'll be a  "pig in heaven" (loosely translated) after you eat it!
Chris Paulk

Pretty sure that it means "heavens little pig". It's eggs and sugar for the most part.  Something that will make you feel "piggy" eating it.
Alisa Escanlar

Thanks for shedding light on this little "mystery". Both your answers are really helpful, now that I think about it, if you do overindulge in this, it could lead you knocking on heavens door sooner than you think.
Sonia R. Martinez

Tocino del Cielo or Tocinillo del Cielo (*) as many Cubans call it, literally means, bacon or fat from heaven and not pigs or piggies (**).  The origins of this recipe are supposed to be found in  the southern parts of Spain.  According to a story I heard, the winemakers needed to do something with the egg yolks left over, after using the egg whites to mellow the tannins found in red wines.  That section of Spain was first conquered/settled by the Moorish and some people believe the true origins of the recipe are Arabic.
 (*)Tocinillo is a diminutive of tocino
(**)Tocino means bacon in Spanish and can mean either raw or cured bacon - puerco or cerdo are the names for pig.