Lard

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For the punk group of this name, see Lard (band). For the radio DJ, see Marc Riley.

A slice of bread spread with lard was a typical staple in traditional rural cuisine of many countries.

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 diminished because of health concerns posed by saturated fat and cholesterol. Lard is still commonly used to manufacture soap. Rendered fat obtained from cows or sheep is known as tallow.

[edit] History and cultural use

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 flavorful 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.

Toward the late 20th century, lard began to be regarded as less healthy than vegetable oils such as olive and sunflower because of its high saturated fatty acid and cholesterol content.

Despite its similar chemical constituency and lower saturated fat content than butter, lard typically incites much consternation and disapproval from many North Americans. This may stem from attitudes and the perceived nature of the source animal for lard, or the methods required to obtain the fat from its source. Many restaurants in the western nations have eliminated the use of lard in their kitchens because of the religious and health-related dietary restrictions of many of their customers. Many industrial confectioners substitute beef tallow for lard in order to compensate for the lack of mouthfeel in many baked goods and free their food products from pork-based dietary restrictions.

Rendered lard can also be used to produce cakes of soap.

[edit] Culinary use

Lard is one of the few edible oils with a relatively high smoke point, which is because of its high saturated fatty acids content. Pure lard is especially useful for cooking since it produces very little smoke when heated and has a distinct and pleasant taste when combined with other foods. Many chefs state that lard is a superior culinary fat in terms of its possible applications and its taste. Lard does not contain any trans fat.

Because of its higher melting point, pie crusts made with lard tend to be more flaky than those made with butter. Many cooks employ both types of fat in their pastries to improve the product's texture and flavour.

Lard still plays a significant role in British, German, Hungarian, Polish, Mexican, Norwegian, and Chinese cuisines.

In the United States, use has declined with the introduction and popularization of Crisco^{[citation needed]}, which is made from partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil.

Lard sandwich (in Hungarian "Zsíroskenyér" or "Zsírosdeszka", in German "Schmalzbrot") is eaten besides beer and is best with salt, onions and paprika.

[edit] Source

Lard can be obtained from any part of the pig as long as there is a high concentration of fatty tissue.

Lard may be rendered from the fatty tissue just above the tenderloin or under the skin of the pig. The highest grade of lard, known as "leaf lard", is obtained from the leaf fat that surrounds the kidneys. The lowest grade is obtained from around the small intestines.

Lard sold in supermarkets commonly contains added BHT (a banned chemical in some countries), which is used as a preservative.

[edit] Nutritional information

Each 100 grams of Lard contains the following:

• 900 Calories
• 39g Saturated fat
• 95mg Cholesterol
• 45g Monounsaturated fatty acids
• 11g Polyunsaturated fatty acids
• 0.6mg Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
• 0.1mg Zinc
• 0.2mg Selenium
• unknown Hydrogenated fat
• unknown Trans fat

[edit] See also

• butter
• shortening
• margarine
• schmaltz
• Crisco