Lard

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Just a question: Could there be a lard revival due to the increasing move back to natural rather than highly processed oils?

As a kid, we were allowed to make fried bread with dripping (and boy did the tasty jelly bits spatter) like a production line, i.e. cook, eat whilst next one was cooking. Mum would break the cycle saying No more! Dunno if pork or beef though.

Most edible oils aren't that highly processed really, just pressed then filtered to remove most of what's not really oil; some are "deodorised" and I'm never sure how that's done, nothing very harrible nowadays I think. Solvent extraction has been used in the past, but is not allowed in most places you'd get your oil from

However there is a certainly a backlash that says the impact on health of naturally occuring saturated fat has been overblown in the past.. There's some truth in that, but the "look at me I'm controversial" claims of idiots like Malhotra, Jordan Peterson, Noakes, and Dr Oz who claim that saturated animal fats are positvely good for your heart are also overblown - but everything they ever say is pretty ridiculous. So lard is creeping back a bit, where it works well in a culinary sense and probably not hurting anyone savvy enough to ignore Mallhotra et al. Angry Chef is good on this topic (if sweary)

[Sakkarin Profile]

In my favourite Mexican cookbook (1967) it is made clear that lard is the fat to use throughout, most recipes stipulate "x tablespoons of lard or salad oil", some just lard.

There used to be a cafe near Watford football club that proudly offered bread and dripping on its shopfront sign. Changed hands now, so no more bread and dripping

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.65155 ... 6656?hl=en

[Alexandria Profile]

In some classic old bars in the Madrid Capital, they serve a canapé with a thin slice lard as a selection.

Being Pescatarian, simply have never eaten it ..

[Sakkarin Profile]

You've reminded me of a conversation I had with a Romanian a few years back, who was enthusing about his favourite Romanian delicacy, which was basically bacon with no meat, all fat, he even showed me a picture of it on his phone. I probably mentioned it on the board back then...



Looked it up on Google:

Salo - edible pork fat. A low-meat high-fat salted companion often used to chase with Vodka. The slabs of pork are salted or brine fermented and sometimes smoked. It is aged in a dark, cold place and can last for more than a year. The Slavic word "salo" or "slanina" as applied to this type of food (it has other meanings as well) is often translated to English as "bacon" or "lard". Unlike lard, salo is not rendered. Unlike bacon, salo has little or no lean meat.

[Amyw Profile]

For someone that loves pork fat of any type (belly pork ), that sounds either horrific , or dangerously wonderful

[Sakkarin Profile]

I love most belly pork fat, where it's either meltingly soft, or jellyish, or crisped up, but not sure I'd have the stomach for that, I seem to remember he said they use it raw, sliced thin in sandwiches.

I don't think it's a million miles from the stuff Renee mentioned earlier...

[Stokey Sue Profile]

There’s something similar in both Slovenia and Poland iirc, it says general Slavic in sakkarin’s piece. Found it quite edible, though I preferred the cheese option!

In Slovenia they served, as a spread, lard with the tiny crisp grattons or scratchings in it. Was ok ( or would have been had I not contracted nasty bug from it)