Real People Eat Local

Tell your foodie friends that you’re interested in cooking with lard and they’ll shudder and start joking about cardiologists. But just as there are no miracle foods, there are no demon foods either and when you starting looking into lard, it may be one of life’s pleasures that we can re-introduce into our lives.

Start with the thousands of years argument—that generations have found pigs to be efficient, flexible, and a delicious source of protein. Pigs are not picky eaters and can efficiently scour a household’s refuse. Spanish pigs fed on acorns are prized, but pigs used to be let loose to forage in streets.

And once slaughtered, pigs can be turned into sausage, scrapple and chops; they can be consumed fresh, pickled and smoked to see a family through the winter. And, as for delicious, well, there is an internet subculture devoted to bacon alone.

But no one wants to talk about lard. A few diehards will wistfully recall flaky pie crust and light-as-air biscuits made with lard, but admit they never use it anymore. After all, everyone knows that lard is no good for you.

Or is it? Lard is composed of mostly unsaturated fat and is rich in monosaturated fat (like olive oil) that lowers LDL cholesterol. It is also rich in vitamin D, which, recent studies indicate, can help prevent cancer.

But without a long food tradition that incorporates lard as a valued part of the diet, like Viennese kugelhopf, French pates, or Chinese roasted pork belly, American eaters turn their food into medicine, alternately declaring foods to be deadly or miraculous, whether its bread, eggs, or red wine.

Yet nutrition is complex and our fear of fat has ironically led us to replace animal fats with partially-hydrogenated and trans-fats—liquid vegetable oils that are processed to be a shelf-stable solid. The processing oxidizes the vitamin E and destroys healthy fatty acids.

There is even a school of skeptics about cholesterol who point out that it is a naturally occurring substance in the body where it plays a role in healing. Our medicinal approach to mealtime and our separation from food production has made us more comfortable with boxes and bottles, neutral odors, and tasteless fats.

Most lard sold in supermarkets is partially hydrogenated, again, to make it shelf-stable.

Instead, you can search out natural lard or render it on your own, which his easy.

Rendering lard on the stove or in the oven heats the fat to separate it from any remaining solids, which can become cracklings, yet another delicious by-product. One pound of fat yields about 1½ cups of lard. Stovetop rendering will make your house will smell deliciously porky, but the rendered lard will have only the slightest taste of meat.

Lard Glossary

Fatback—from the pig’s back, shoulder,
and rump. Often sold with the skin
attached and is the cut used to make
Italian lardo.

Belly Fat—cushions the spare ribs,
most often used for slab bacon.

Leaf Lard—surrounds the pig’s kidneys,
the most delicate fat used for pastry.

Caul Fat—the lacy netting that encloses
the intestines, used for sausage or terrine.

Suggestions

Try this recipe, adapted from Fat, An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, by Jennifer McLagan. McLagan took her inspiration for what she calls “white butter” from Italian herb-cured lardo, and she suggests your dinner guests taste it before you tell them what it is.

½ cup lard

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Combine the lard, rosemary, and salt over low heat until it comes to a simmer and the salt dissolves, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the rosemary.

Pour it into a bowl to cool. When it is set and white, beat it with a wooden spoon until creamy and light. Adjust the seasonings and serve with good bread.

Note: The Italian town of Colonnata is noted for its marble—it was a source for Michaelangelo—and for its lardo, cured in marble boxes. Each family has its own mix of spices, which often include nutmeg, clove, black pepper, and star anise. Feel free do develop a signature mix for your own “white butter.”