Schmaltz

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Schmaltz is rendered chicken or goose fat used for frying or spreading on bread. If rendered from a kosher slaughtered chicken or goose, it is kosher and hence particularly popular in Jewish cuisine; it was used by Northwestern and Eastern European Jews who couldn't fry their meats in butter or lard, the common forms of cooking fat in Europe, on account of dietary laws, and could not obtain the kinds of cooking oils, such as olive oil and sesame oil, that they had used in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean (as in Spain and Italy).

Manufacture involves cutting the fatty tissues of the bird into small pieces, melting the fat, and collecting the drippings. Schmaltz may be prepared by a dry process where the pieces are cooked under low heat and stirred, gradually yielding their fat. A wet process also exists whereby the fat is melted by direct steam injection. Afterwards, schmaltz is filtered and clarified.

Homemade schmaltz is made by cutting unsmoked chicken or goose fat into small pieces and melting in a pan with low-to-moderate heat, generally with onions. After the majority of the fat has been extracted, the melted fat is strained through a cheesecloth into a storage container. The remaining dark brown, crispy bits of skin and onion are known in Yiddish as gribenes.

Since the rendering process removes extraneous water and proteins from the fat, schmaltz will not spoil easily. It can even be used to preserve cooked meats if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry location.

Schmaltz often has a strong aroma, and therefore is often used for hearty recipes such as stews or roasts. It also is sometimes used as a bread spread, where it is sometimes also salted, and generally this is done on whole grain breads with a strong flavor of their own.

[edit] Etymology and other meanings of the word

Schmaltz derives from the German word Schmalz, which is a generic term for any kind of rendered animal fat, including lard and tallow, and which comes from the word schmelzen ("to melt" or "to smelt"). The radical of "smelt" or "schmelz" is shared by several other German words to, all share the sense of smelting sth. It has been brought to American English by Yiddish-speaking Jews who used this word mostly to refer to the kosher poultry fat.

In American slang the word is also used for anything that is excessively sentimental, particularly film, theater, poetry or music. In the Montreal Jewish community, it is a slang term for money.

In the United States, schmaltz was also a technical term among sign-makers for roadside signs in which the design was made of large (1", 2" or larger) sequins that trembled and caught the light. Such signage was more common before lighted and neon signs became common. Schmaltz signage almost completely dropped out of use by the late 1970's, but is still occasionally seen, especially to create a nostalgic feel.