Product Code Database
Lard is a Quasi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the adipose tissue of a domestic pig." Lard" entry in the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Accessed on 2020-07-05. It is distinguished from tallow, a similar product derived from fat of cattle or sheep.
Lard can be rendered by steaming, boiling, or dry heat. The culinary qualities of lard vary somewhat depending on the origin and processing method; if properly rendered, it may be nearly odorless and tasteless.E. S. Clifton, Joseph Kastelic, and Belle Lowe (1955): Relationships between Lard Production Methods, Volumes of Production, Costs and Characteristics of Lard Produced in Selected Packing Plants. Research Bulletin 422, Iowa State College Experiment Station, US Department of Agriculture. It has a high saturated fat content and no trans fat. At retail, refined lard is usually sold as paper-wrapped blocks.
Many cuisines use lard as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread in the same ways as butter. It is an ingredient in various umami dishes such as , pâtés, and fillings. As a replacement for butter, it provides flakiness to pastry. In western cuisine, it has ceded its popularity to , but many cooks and bakers still favor it over other fats for certain uses.
During the 19th century, lard was used in a similar way to butter in North America and many European nations. Lard remained about as popular as butter in the early 20th century and was widely used as a substitute for butter during World War II. As a readily available by-product of modern pork production, lard had been cheaper than most vegetable oils, and it was common in many people's diet until the Industrial Revolution made vegetable oils more common and more affordable. Vegetable shortenings were developed in the early 1900s, which made it possible to use vegetable-based fats in baking and in other uses where solid fats were called for. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, though fictional, portrayed men falling into rendering vats and being sold as lard, which generated negative publicity.
By the late 20th century lard began to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive oil and sunflower oil) because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. However, despite its reputation, lard has less saturated fat, more unsaturated fat and less cholesterol than an equal amount of butter by weight. Unhydrogenated lard contains no transfats. It has also been regarded as a "poverty food".
In the 1990s and early 2000s, however, chefs and bakers rediscovered lard's unique culinary values, leading to a partial rehabilitation of this fat among "foodies". Negative publicity about the transfat content of the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in vegetable shortening has partially driven this trend. Chef and food writer Rick Bayless is a prominent proponent of the virtues of lard for certain types of cooking. "The Real Thing: nothing beats lard for old-fashioned flavor" by Matthew Amster-Burton, The Seattle Times, September 10, 2006. "Don't let lard throw you into a tizzy" by Jacqueline Higuera-McMahan, San Francisco Chronicle, March 12, 2003. "Light, Fluffy – Believe It, It's Not Butter" by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, New York Times, October 11, 2000. "Heart-stopping moment for doctors as we're falling in love again with lard" by Sally Williams, Western Mail, January 5, 2006. It is also again becoming popular in the United Kingdom among aficionados of traditional British cuisine. This led to a "lard crisis" in late 2004. "Chefs prize it. The French love it. The Poles are hogging it. And now Britain's running out of it." by Christopher Hirst, The Independent, November 20, 2004.
| 1 | 2,544,847 | |||
| 2 | 549,989 | |||
| 3 | 508,600 | |||
| 4 | 447,474 | |||
| 5 | 434,100 | |||
| 6 | 215,513 | |||
| 7 | 174,649 | |||
| 8 | 148,997 | |||
| 9 | 146,519 | |||
| 10 | 143,842 | |||
| Source : FAOSTAT | ||||
Lard may be rendered by two processes: wet or dry. In wet rendering, pig fat is boiled in water or steamed at a high temperature and the lard, which is insoluble in water, is skimmed from the surface of the mixture or separated in an industrial centrifuge. In dry rendering, the fat is exposed to high heat in a pan or oven without water (a process similar to frying bacon). The two processes yield somewhat differing products. Wet-rendered lard has a more neutral flavor, a lighter color, and a high smoke point. Dry-rendered lard is somewhat browner and has a caramelized flavor and has a lower smoke point.Moustafa, Ahmad and Stauffer, Clyde. (1997). Bakery Fats. Brussels: American Soybean Association. Rombaur, Irma S, et al. (1997). Joy of Cooking (revised ed). New York: Scribner. "About lard and other animal fats"; p 1069.
Industrially-produced lard, including much of the lard sold in supermarkets, is rendered from a mixture of high and low quality fat from throughout the pig."Ask Cook's: Is Lard an Acceptable Shortening?", Cook's Illustrated, November 2004. Lard is often Hydrogenated oil to improve its stability at room temperature. Hydrogenated lard sold to consumers typically contains fewer than 0.5 g of per 13 g serving. Lard is also often treated with bleaching and deodorizing agents, emulsifiers, and antioxidants such as BHT. "Put Lard Back in Your Larder" by Linda Joyce Forristal, Mother Linda's Olde World Cafe and Travel Emporium. These treatments make it more consistent and prevent spoilage. (Untreated lard must be refrigerated or frozen to prevent Rancidification.)Matz, Samuel A. (1991). Bakery Technology and Engineering. New York: Springer. "Lard"; p 81. "Make Your Own Lard: Believe it or not, it's good for you" by Lynn Siprelle, The New Homemaker, Winter 2006.
Consumers wanting a higher-quality source of lard typically seek out producers, or render it themselves from leaf lard or fatback.
A by-product of dry-rendering lard is Deep frying meat, skin and membrane tissue known as cracklings.
Lard is traditionally one of the main ingredients in the pâté leverpostej.
In Spain, one of the most popular versions of the Andalusian breakfast includes several kinds of mantecas differently seasoned, consumed spread over toasted bread. Among other variants, manteca colorá (lard with paprika) and zurrapa de lomo (lard with pork flakes) are the preferred ones. In Catalan cuisine lard is used to make the dough for the pastry known as coca. In the Balearics particularly, ensaïmada dough also contains lard.
Lard consumed as a spread on bread was once very common in Europe and North America, especially those areas where dairy fats and vegetable oils were rare.
As the demand for lard grows in the high-end restaurant industry, small farmers have begun to specialize in heritage hog breeds with higher body-fat contents than the leaner, modern hog. Breeds such as the Mangalica of Hungary or Large Black pig of Great Britain are experiencing an enormous resurgence, to the point that breeders are unable to keep up with demand.
When used without qualification the word 'lard' in English generally refers to wet-rendered lard, which has a very mild, neutral flavor as opposed to the more noticeably pork-flavored dry-rendered lard, or dripping. Dripping sandwiches are still popular in several European countries—Hungarian zsíroskenyér ("lardy bread") or zsírosdeszka ("lardy plank"), and German cuisine "Fettbemme", seasoned pork fat. Similar snacks are sometimes served with beer in Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. They are generally topped with , served with salt and paprika, and eaten as a side-dish with beer. All of these are commonly translated on menus as "lard" sandwiches, perhaps due to the lack of familiarity of most contemporary English native speakers with dripping. Attempts to use Hungarian zsír or Polish smalec (both meaning "fat/lard") when British recipes calling for lard will reveal the difference between the wet-rendered lard and dripping. IMG_2116 by chrys, Flickr.com, September 16, 2006. "Austrian Restaurant Guide" by Keith Waclena, February 18, 2000. In Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as in many parts of China, lard was often consumed mixed into cooked rice along with soy sauce to make "lard rice" (豬油拌飯 or 豬油撈飯). And in Japan, back loin (fatback) lard is frequently used for ramen, creating a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty dish.
Traditionally, along with peanut oil, lard is extensively used in Asian cooking as a general-purpose cooking oil, esp. in stir-fries and deep-frying.
In Germany lard is called Schweineschmalz (literally, "rendered fat from swine") and has been a longtime favorite as a spread. It can be served plain, or it can be mixed with seasonings: pork fat can be enhanced with small pieces of pork skin, called Grieben (cf. Yiddish gribenes) to create Griebenschmalz. Other recipes call for small pieces of apple or onion. In English, however, schmaltz usually refers to kosher fat rendered from chicken, duck or goose.
Vegetarian Grieben from onions or apples, which began as a makeshift means of diluting Schmalz in time of need, became rather popular on their own account because they allow for a specific taste and a lower fat content. Completely vegetarian Schmalz-like spreads based on vegetable fats use those ingredients as well. In Germany it is forbidden to use the term Schmalz for non-lard products.
In Poland, lard mixed with fruit, usually chopped apple, and spread on thick slices of bread, is often served as a starter.
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