Lard, how about it.
So, as an upcoming project for one of my classes, I have to do a food demonstration that translates a nutrition concept (such as “encouraging consumers to adopt new food ideas”) while demonstrating my skillz in teh kitchenz.
In the past, I’ve done slide-shows of penis-shaped vegetables, and written lab reports referring to the mysterious properties of gluten as “unnerving and faith-shattering.” So my first impulse on what to present for this food demo?
Lard.
What do you think?
And I don’t mean to present lard in an entirely ironic way. I actually think lard is a rather, for lack of a better word, beautiful fat. My first experience with lard occurred a few years ago, when I accidentally rendered bacon fat by dumping a frying pan in the sink. A few hours later, I couldn’t figure out this unscented, silky, pure-white substance pooled in the bottom of my sink. I happily finger-painted with it for a while before my brain kicked in: it was lard!
I subsequently made a pie-crust with lard (store-bought, thanks, not from the bottom of my sink), and the texture of the pastry was wonderful. Now, to anyone of the orthorexic persuasion, lard — pie notwithstanding — is a threatening and morally bankrupt idea. I think it would be interesting to discuss that, and look into the bad rap lard has received.
I’ve heard some rumblings about stearic acid and health effects, so I’ll have to do some research in the food science journals. Maybe lard isn’t so bad. Maybe it is. I guess we’ll see.
Edited to add: I found an interesting article about the use of hydrogenation in processed lard, and some of the non-hydrogenated lards available. But it also looks like the old Canadian standby lard is non-hydrogenated as well.
Filed under: dietetics, eating, fat, food, nutrition |
The lard i found at the store had partly hydrogenized (or how ever the hell you spell that) fat in it. But then I think I tend to be kind of orthorexic about hydrogenation.
I am married to a southern man whose southern family cooks with lard unapologetically. Once at Christmas I watched my husband’s grandmother fry eggs, like so: spray Pam into a pan until you can have a measurable layer of oil visible to the naked eye. Add lard. Fry eggs. I was on WW at the time and nearly passed out.
But since then, I have come to see the merits of lard. Pie crusts. Biscuits. Lard is really the poster food of “OMG OBESITY” so that even now, I still don’t think I could bring myself to buy it. I mean, “lard ass” is a pretty common insult. But lard is a pretty good food item - better than margarine, for sure, and no worse than butter, and with its own unique culinary properties.
I’m edging into rambling territory, but really I just wanted to say: Yes. Lard. Brilliant.
I’ve heard about that, Mindy. I think I’d definitely look for a lard that wasn’t partially-hydrogenated, if one exists. It seems kind of funny that they’d need to partially-hydrogenate a saturated fat, but if I’m understanding correctly, lard actually has a large proportion of monounsaturated fats in its profile, so perhaps that is why. Ironically, the need for hydrogenation could be used to vindicate lard’s reputation!
I’m a little squidgy about hydrogenation too (or, specifically, partial hydrogenation, since trans fats depend on double-bonds, which don’t exist in completely saturated fats) — but, that said, a small amount of trans fats do occur naturally in milk and meat products, and I don’t think very occasional consumption would be harmful.
But if any biochemistry or food science buffs want to add their two cents, I’d be interested to hear it.
I personally enjoy the term “lard-bucket,” otter. Because lard is actually sold in buckets! It’s brilliant!
You’re right: lard is totally the poster food for the obesity epidemic (along with donuts and McDonald’s food.) Which is why it immediately leaps to mind when I think about “encouraging consumers to adopt new food ideas.” I’ve actually heard people accuse fat people of “sitting around spooning lard into their mouths,” and it struck me as so wonderfully ridiculous!
The visceral reaction people have to both fat people and certain foods is very telling. And it’s obviously been “carefully taught.”
Whenever I have bacon, I save up the lard and bake a pie. It’s efficient, it’s tasty as all get out, and it’s making efficient use of what I’ve got available. Do I eat bacon and lard every day? No. But sometimes there’s just nothing that satisfies like bacon, and when I have it I make use of every part. I think that’s a lot more respectful of the pig both came from, and it saves me money on commercially produced lard.
Mmmm…lard. Also known as “drippings”, also known as “delicious”.
I know that Alton Brown did a show talking about butter and why it’s better for you than margarine and other substitutes, he may have also done one on lard.
“Whenever I have bacon, I save up the lard and bake a pie. It’s efficient, it’s tasty as all get out, and it’s making efficient use of what I’ve got available.”
When I make pierogis, I always have bacon with them, then use the pan dripping to fry the pierogis. There’s definitely something satisfying about using up what you’ve got.
Twistie, you’ve just given me an idea! The skill I could demonstrate would be rendering lard at home, from bacon (just like I did on accident, in a rather unsanitary way), thus avoiding the processed lard that involves hydrogenation. Hmmm!
The only problem is, I must present with a partner, which means I would have to persuade another person of the benefits of rendering lard at home. A bit discouraging. That said, I did do the penis-vegetable project with a group of five very-shy nutrition students, who subsequently had to stand up in front of class and say the word “penis.” So, maybe…
You can get real lard (not hydrogenized) at a butchers.
I’ve heard someone else talking about this just recently. Try this link:
http://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/2008/02/february_6_2008.html
I bought some tenderflake frozen pastry the other day, forgetting that the special breakfast I wanted to prepare was for (oops!) vegetarians. Imagine my SHOCK when I found out it was made with all veggie oils.
And, as pastry goes, was also pretty tasteless.
Coincidence? I think not.
well, i don’t eat zee piggies, so i’m not personally big on lard, but i remember reading years ago, way on back in 2003 perhaps, that pure lard is actually healthier than butter and, in the opinion of the article’s writer, healthier than stuff like earth balance et al. because it’s not processed. i *think* this might have been the new york times. the whole piece was a defense of lard.
anyway. i think i’ll stick to butter. lard makes me shudder. my grandmother kept an old folgers coffee tin behind her stove and dumped bacon grease in it every time she fried bacon, and then periodically would use a scoop of the congealed bacon lard to cook things like eggs and whatnot. very thrifty, but you had to hope that she never used the lard up faster than she could cook bacon, because that shit at the bottom had to be preeeeetty rancid.
ha! i just googled “defense of lard new york times” and it came right up as the first hit. here you go:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/12/opinion/12kummer.html
i was wrong, 2005 not 03.
Peggynature, I’m glad you got an idea from my rambling! I’m sure you can find someone to help you out with the lard demonstration. I’m just sorry I missed the phallic veggies.
In addition to talking about the positive aspects of lard rendering in the modern world, you might discuss how it was used historically. That might well make the project more palatable (pun fully intended!) to a demo partner. It never ceases to amuse me how people are willing to discuss the historical context of foods that they find offensive if presented for possible modern use.
Your blogs regarding the pride of being overweight inspired a blog with a sports leaning to it:
http://ihos.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/rotund-revolution/
Um…okay.
Funny blog! You can’t beat fried chicken made in lard! (Unless you want to live past 55, of course.) I like to eat it once every couple of years or so as a splurge.
Peggy, I never considered using lard until I read Rick Bayless’s defense of it (and recipe for making your own). I’ve still never rendered my own lard (or cooked with it… ever, though I have been known to use bacon fat), but that was the first time it even occurred to me that lard might not be the devil.
I wonder if you could convince someone to do it with the argument that lard is a staple of lots of different ethnic cuisines, and the American/Canadian disgust with lard smacks of the xenophobic, as well as the fatphobic?
Event though we are vegetarians, we could never bring ourselves to order the vegetarian beans at our favorite Mexican place when we lived in Kalamazoo (Mi Ranchito). I am quite sure they made their regular refried beans with lard, and they were SO DELICIOUS! I never asked, because I didn’t want to know, but I didn’t stop eating them, either.
Oh, could you give a link on how to remove the bacon flavor from drippings? I just can’t wrap my mind around an apple pie with bacon-flavored crust, and my bacon drippings always have a bacony flavor that I like with eggs.
I have to admit that the idea of lard makes me want to throw up. I wonder why that is?
Piffle, I’m really not sure how you can do it to ensure there is no bacon flavour — I didn’t use my own accidentally-rendered lard for baking afterward. But you could always try a Google search for “rendering lard at home” and see what happens. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!