Fat Museum: Animal Fat

The Museum of FAT

Animal Fats

Lard

"Lard is an animal fat produced from rendering the fat portions of the pig. Lard was a commonly used cooking oil though its use in contemporary cuisine has been diminished due to the health concerns posed by saturated fat and cholesterol.

During the 19th century, lard was used in a similar fashion as butter in North America and many European nations. Lard was also held at the same level of popularity as butter in the early 20th century, and was widely used as a substitute for the butter during World War II. As a readily available by-product of modern pork production, lard had been cheaper and more flavourful than most vegetable oils and featured prominently in many people's diet until the industrial revolution made vegetable oils more common and more affordable."---from Wikipedia, read more here.

The Relevance of Fat (Lard)

And ye shall eat the fat of the land. Genesis 45:18

A feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees. Isaiah 25:6

"Not all fat is created equal. Though much of the fat removed from a pig is usable, some is better than others. Supple fat deposits found around the loin and kidney of the pig, are considered superior for their clarity when rendered and used as a cooking medium. Pork belly fat and salt pork from the belly and sides of the pig are tender and best when smoked or salt cured for use in stews, casseroles, or cooked as for bacon. Fatback, more firm and dense, resides between the flesh and skin and is best for lining terrine molds, to enrich forcemeats, make sausages, and for larding and barding (Davidson 443). Because fatback is compact and has a high smoke point it will not melt immediately, but rather serve its purpose of protecting lean cuts of meat during the cooking process. Fatback is also popular in the southeastern United States where it is rendered and fried until crisp. These "cracklings," as they are known are added to other recipes such as cornbread and collard greens, or simply eaten out of hand as a sn ack, Though hot dogs, ham hocks, and cracklings are mainstays of Americana, a vast majority of the pig trade emanates from Europe and Asia. China alone is home to 40% of the total porcine inventory; pork plays an important part of the Chinese food culture and way of life (Kiple and Ornelas 539).

In most countries, every part of the pig is valued. In fact in the early Middle Ages when only affluent households could afford to keep pigs, fat was regarded as highly as meat. To use lard in a recipe was highly esteemed. In France, goose and pork fat are still highly regarded often characterizing the regional dishes of Gascony, Bearn, and the Languedoc; cassoulet, a casserole of beans, duck, goose, and pork fat and bardatte, a classical French dish from Nantes of rabbit and herb stuffed cabbage wrapped with bacon fat are among the many country dishes prepared with animal fat. In the European countryside pate makers, charcutiere, and salumiere gobble up trimmed bits of fat. As the domestication of pigs became more common, and the diet of the classes merged, lard became a staple of any good home. According to William Cobbett, author of Cottage Economy, proper table etiquette in the early 1800s dictated that one should enjoy a slab of bread spread with a generous amount of sweet lard at mealtime. English lardy cakes, made in the public ovens during the 1500s were served with afternoon tea and during holidays. The dough was rolled and folded several times around chunks of fat to create rich layers, each fortified with a healthy dose of sugar, currants, and dried fruit. The result was a rich bread, sweet and moist, capable of staying fresh a few days longer than whole grain breads of the time. Today lardy cakes are served for birthdays or special occasions.

No matter the use, fat is a valuable tool. The act of larding and barding protects lean, fragile cuts of meat, fish, poultry, or produce. The fat itself acts as a tenderizer by preventing the loss of moisture and as a flavor booster by preserving natural juices. Barding is a French term for wrapping thin sheets of fat, usually pork fat, around lean items. Bardes are thin sheets of fatback or lard dur used to line terrine and pate molds or wrap lean cuts of meat. Terrines, galantines, and ballotines are perhaps the most familiar examples of the barding technique in the classical kitchen. When preparing whole roasts, the bards or leaves of fat are usually removed before service. Alternately, threading whole roasts or lean items with thin strips of fat is referred to as larding. Lard strips are trimmed from large slabs of fatback. To maneuver the lard through an item, one of two larding needles must be used. An aiguille A piquer has a very sharp tip and a flared opening at the back is loaded with small strips of fat. The sharp, tapered tip is used to pierce and thread smaller cuts without damaging its appearance. A lardoire is a two-sided beveled needle in which long, thick strips of fat can be stuffed. The hefty needle is injected into whole roasts and large cuts of meat in order to thread the fat. When these cuts are sliced for service, the blade runs "against the grain," therefore the larding must be done with the grain to prevent the larded fat from coming off in long strips with the meat. When using alternative forms of fat, a aiguille a piquer enables strips of fat or chilled butter and vegetable oil to be thread through delicate cuts (Davidson 445).

Perhaps the most familiar technique of incorporating whole pieces of fat in the contemporary kitchen is practiced by bakers and pastry chefs. It is this technique that allows pastry doughs to rise and pie crusts to flake. When employing fat in baking, keep in mind that the higher the melting point of the fat, the more volume the finished product will have. Fat with a low smoking point will be absorbed into the layers before it has a chance to bubble and leaven the dough. Animal fat, or lard, which has a high smoking point, is very effective as a leavener in flaky pastries and tart shells. Liquid or warm fats, like vegetable oil never have a chance to separate the layers because their melting point is low (McGee 303). Many pastry recipes require the "creaming of butter," a process in which fat, usually butter is whipped with sugar. This creates a sweet, aerated mass of fat that will act as an effective leavener and sweetener. This creaming process was the precursor to chemical leaveners like "hydrogenated oils ." The hydrogenated process raises the melting point of vegetable oils so they can sustain initial oven temperatures and act as effective leaveners without adding all the saturated fat and cholesterol (Lang 610) of animal fat. Larding pastry doughs in a succession of folding motions and rolling steps creates layers of fat between sheets of gluten. When baked, these chilled fat solids expand, separating the sheets of gluten instead of seeping into them. The result is a flaky dough or pastry with many airy layers. Many of today's cooks have trimmed the fat from heirloom recipes in order to accommodate more healthy life styles. However, the technique of larding and barding need not be abandoned. Different types of fat, or fatty ingredients can replace the high saturated fat found in lard. An innovative chef need not part with tradition or practices of the past. In fact, it's best if he threads ideas with practical application." ---from The Relavance of Fat.