 Wet-rendered lard, from pork fatback | |
| Fat composition | |
|---|---|
| Saturated fats | |
| Total saturated | 38–43%: Palmitic acid: 25–28% Stearic acid: 12–14% Myristic acid: 1% |
| Unsaturated fats | |
| Total unsaturated | 56–62% |
| Monounsaturated | 47–50%: Oleic acid: 44–47% Palmitoleic acid: 3% |
| Polyunsaturated | Linoleic acid: 6–10%[1][2] |
| Properties | |
| Food energy per 100 g (3.5 oz) | 3,770 kJ (900 kcal) |
| Melting point | backfat: 30–40 °C (86–104 °F) leaf fat: 43–48 °C (109–118 °F) mixed fat: 36–45 °C (97–113 °F) |
| Smoke point | 121–218 °C (250–424 °F) |
| Specific gravity at 20 °C (68 °F) | 0.917–0.938 |
| Iodine value | 45–75 |
| Acid value | 3.4 |
| Saponification value | 190–205 |
| Unsaponifiable | 0.8%[2] |
Lard is asemi-solid whitefat product obtained byrendering thefatty tissue of apig.[3][4] It is distinguished fromtallow, a similar product derived from fat ofcattle orsheep.
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.[5] It has a highsaturated fatty acid content and notrans fat. At retail, refined lard is usually sold as paper-wrapped blocks.
Many cuisines use lard as acooking fat orshortening, or as aspread in the same ways asbutter. It is an ingredient in varioussavoury dishes such assausages,pâtés, andfillings. As a replacement for butter, it provides flakiness topastry. In western cuisine, it has ceded its popularity tovegetable oils, but many cooks and bakers still favor it over other fats for certain uses.
Lard has always been an important cooking and baking staple in cultures wherepork is an important dietary item, with pig fat often being as valuable a product as pork.[6]
During the 19th century, lard was used in a similar way tobutter in North America and many European nations.[7] Lard remained about as popular as butter in the early 20th century and was widely used as a substitute for butter duringWorld War II. As a readily availableby-product of modern pork production, lard had been cheaper than mostvegetable oils, and it was common in many people's diet until theIndustrial 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 novelThe 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 asolive andsunflower oil) because of its high content ofsaturated fatty acids andcholesterol. However, despite its reputation, lard has less saturated fat, moreunsaturated fat and less cholesterol than an equal amount of butter by weight.[2] Unhydrogenated lard contains no transfats. It has also been regarded as a "poverty food".[6]
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 thepartially hydrogenated vegetable oils in vegetable shortening has partially driven this trend. Chef and food writerRick Bayless is a prominent proponent of the virtues of lard for certain types of cooking.[8][9][10][11]
It is also again becoming popular in theUnited Kingdom among aficionados of traditional British cuisine. This led to a "lard crisis" in late 2004.[12][13]
Lard is produced mainly inChina, followed byGermany,Brazil,United States, andRussia.[14]
| Country | Production, 2018 (tonnes) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | 2,544,847 | ||
| 2 |  Germany | 549,989 | ||
| 3 |  Brazil | 508,600 | ||
| 4 |  United States | 447,474 | ||
| 5 |  Russia | 434,100 | ||
| 6 |  Italy | 215,513 | ||
| 7 |  Poland | 174,649 | ||
| 8 |  Romania | 148,997 | ||
| 9 |  France | 146,519 | ||
| 10 |  Mexico | 143,842 | ||
| Source :FAOSTAT | ||||
Lard can be obtained from any part of the pig that has a high concentration offatty tissue. The highest grade of lard, known as leaf lard, is obtained from the "flare"visceral fat deposit surrounding thekidneys and inside theloin. Leaf lard has little pork flavor, making it ideal for use in baked goods, where it is valued for its ability to produce flaky, moist pie crusts. The next-highest grade is obtained fromfatback, the hardsubcutaneous fat between the pig's back skin and muscle. The lowest grade (for purposes of rendering into lard) is obtained from the softcaul fat surrounding digestive organs, such assmall intestines, though caul fat is often used directly as a wrapping for roasting lean meats or in the manufacture ofpâtés.[15][6][16]
Lard may berendered 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 industrialcentrifuge. 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 highsmoke point. Dry-rendered lard is somewhat browner and has a caramelized flavor and has a lower smoke point.[17][18]
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.[19] Lard is oftenhydrogenated to improve its stability at room temperature. Hydrogenated lard sold to consumers typically contains fewer than 0.5 g oftransfats per 13 g serving.[20] Lard is also often treated with bleaching and deodorizing agents,emulsifiers, andantioxidants such asBHT.[6][21] These treatments make it more consistent and prevent spoilage. (Untreated lard must be refrigerated or frozen to preventrancidity.)[22][23]
Consumers wanting a higher-quality source of lard typically seek outartisanal producers, or render it themselves from leaf lard or fatback.[19][23][8][9][10]
A by-product of dry-rendering lard isdeep-fried meat, skin and membrane tissue known ascracklings.[6]
Lard consists mainly of fats, which in the context of chemistry are known astriglycerides. Triglycerides contain threefatty acids, varying from one triglyceride to another. In general lard is similar totallow in its composition. About 20% of lard is theachiral triglyceride withpalmitic acid on carbon 2 andoleic acid on carbons 1 and 3.[7] Pigs that have been fed different diets will have lard with a significantly different fatty acid content andiodine value. Peanut-fed hogs or the acorn-fed pigs raised forJamón ibérico therefore produce a somewhat different kind of lard compared to pigs raised in North American farms that are fed corn.[2][24]
Lard is one of the few edible oils with a relatively high smoke point, attributable to its high saturated fatty acids content. Pure lard is especially useful for cooking since it produces little smoke when heated and has a distinct flavor when combined with other foods. Manychefs andbakers prize lard over other types of shortening because of its flavor and range of applications.[25]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 3,765.6 kJ (900.0 kcal) | ||||||||||||||
0 g | |||||||||||||||
100 g | |||||||||||||||
| Saturated | 39 g | ||||||||||||||
| Monounsaturated | 45 g | ||||||||||||||
| Polyunsaturated | 11 g | ||||||||||||||
0 g | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||
| Cholesterol | 95 mg | ||||||||||||||
| Zinc | 0.1 mg | ||||||||||||||
| Selenium | 0.2 mg | ||||||||||||||
Fat percentage can vary | |||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[26] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation fromthe National Academies.[27] | |||||||||||||||
| Type of fat | Total fat (g) | Saturated fat (g) | Monounsaturated fat (g) | Polyunsaturated fat (g) | Smoke point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter[28] | 81 | 51 | 21 | 3 | 150 °C (302 °F)[29] |
| Canola oil[30] | 100 | 6–7 | 62–64 | 24–26 | 205 °C (401 °F)[31][32] |
| Coconut oil[33] | 99 | 83 | 6 | 2 | 177 °C (351 °F) |
| Corn oil[34] | 100 | 13–14 | 27–29 | 52–54 | 230 °C (446 °F)[29] |
| Lard[35] | 100 | 39 | 45 | 11 | 190 °C (374 °F)[29] |
| Peanut oil[36] | 100 | 16 | 57 | 20 | 225 °C (437 °F)[29] |
| Olive oil[37] | 100 | 13–19 | 59–74 | 6–16 | 190 °C (374 °F)[29] |
| Rice bran oil | 100 | 25 | 38 | 37 | 250 °C (482 °F)[38] |
| Soybean oil[39] | 100 | 15 | 22 | 57–58 | 257 °C (495 °F)[29] |
| Suet[40] | 94 | 52 | 32 | 3 | 200 °C (392 °F) |
| Ghee[41] | 99 | 62 | 29 | 4 | 204 °C (399 °F) |
| Sunflower oil[42] | 100 | 10 | 20 | 66 | 225 °C (437 °F)[29] |
| Sunflower oil (higholeic) | 100 | 12 | 84[31] | 4[31] | |
| Vegetableshortening[43] | 100 | 25 | 41 | 28 | 165 °C (329 °F)[29] |
Because of the relatively large fat crystals in lard, it is extremely effective as ashortening inbaking.Pie crusts made with lard tend to be flakier than those made with butter. Many cooks employ both types of fat in theirpastries to combine the shortening properties of lard with the flavor of butter.[6][44][45]
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Lard was once widely used in the cuisines of Europe, China and the New World and still plays a significant role inBritish,Central European,Mexican andChinese cuisines. In British cuisine, lard is a traditional ingredient in mince pies and Christmas puddings,lardy cake and for fryingfish and chips as well as many other uses.[12][13]
Lard is traditionally one of the main ingredients in theScandinavianpâtéleverpostej.
In Spain, one of the most popular versions of the Andalusian breakfast includes several kinds ofmantecas differently seasoned, consumed spread over toasted bread. Among other variants,manteca colorá (lard with paprika)[46] andzurrapa de lomo (lard with pork flakes)[47] are the preferred ones. InCatalan cuisine lard is used to make the dough for the pastry known ascoca. In the Balearics particularly,ensaïmada dough also contains lard.
Lard consumed as aspread onbread was once very common in Europe and North America, especially those areas where dairy fats and vegetable oils were rare.[6]
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 theMangalitsa hog of Hungary orLarge Black pig of Great Britain are experiencing an enormous resurgence, to the point that breeders are unable to keep up with demand.[48]
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, ordripping. Dripping sandwiches are still popular in several European countries—Hungarianzsíroskenyér ("lardy bread") orzsírosdeszka ("lardy plank"), andGerman "Fettbemme", seasoned pork fat. Similar snacks are sometimes served with beer in Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. They are generally topped withonions, served withsalt andpaprika, and eaten as a side-dish withbeer. 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 Hungarianzsír or Polishsmalec (both meaning "fat/lard") when British recipes calling for lard will reveal the difference between the wet-rendered lard and dripping.[49][50] InTaiwan,Hong Kong andMacao, as well as in many parts ofChina, lard was often consumed mixed into cookedrice along withsoy sauce to make "lard rice" (豬油拌飯 or 豬油撈飯). And in Japan, back loin (fatback) lard is frequently used forramen, 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.
InGermany lard is calledSchweineschmalz (literally, "rendered fat from swine") and has been a longtime favorite as aspread. It can be served plain, or it can be mixed with seasonings: pork fat can be enhanced with small pieces of pork skin, calledGrieben (cf. Yiddishgribenes) to createGriebenschmalz. 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.
VegetarianGrieben from onions or apples, which began as a makeshift means of dilutingSchmalz in time of need, became rather popular on their own account because they allow for a specific taste and a lower fat content. Completely vegetarianSchmalz-like spreads based on vegetable fats use those ingredients as well. In Germany it is forbidden to use the termSchmalz for non-lard products.
InPoland, lard mixed with fruit, usually chopped apple, and spread on thick slices of bread, is often served as a starter.
Rendered lard can be used to producebiofuel[51] andsoap. Lard is also useful as acutting fluid inmachining. Its use in machining has declined since the mid-20th century as other specially engineered cutting fluids became prominent. However, it is still a viable option. Lard and other animal fats were formerly used as ananti-foaming agent inindustrial fermentation processes such asbrewing; there, animal fats have been superseded bypolyethers.[52]
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| National | |
