Fwd: [SavoryFare2] Lard (long, OT for some)

[Guest guest]

Of possible interest to some/many listmembers! :-)

Tom

>SavoryFare2

>From: " ianjohns08060 " <ianjohns@...>

>Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 14:42:36 -0000

>Subject: [savoryFare2] Lard (long)

>

>

>One doesn't usually find an item on Lard on the New York Times Op/Ed

>page, but this is from this morning's paper:

>

>High on the Hog

>By CORBY KUMMER

>

>WHEN the New York City health department asked restaurants to stop

>serving food containing trans fats this week, it aroused anxiety in

>some diners but joyful anticipation in me. The stage might be set at

>last for the comeback of the great misunderstood fat: lard.

>

>Every baker knows that despite lard's heavy reputation (it is pig

>fat, after all), nothing makes a flakier or better-tasting pie crust.

>Lard also makes the lightest and tastiest fried chicken: buttermilk,

>secret spices and ancient cast-iron skillets are all well and good,

>but the key to fried chicken greatness is lard.

>

>Dainty eaters who pay dearly for prosciutto but leave the ivory-

>colored ribbon of fat on the plate infuriate Italians, who know

>that's where the flavor and succulence are. Italian food lovers now

>live for the recently revived lardo - salt-and-pepper-cured fatback,

>heaven on bread.

>

>In the United States though, lard has long been demonized. Whenever I

>enter a bakery (and I enter every one I find), I ask if anything is

>made with lard. Even in Mexican and Latin American bakeries with

>Spanish-spoken-only signs, where the bakers surely know that in their

>native countries the most savory empanadas and the airiest tamales

>rely on lard, my hopes are usually dashed.

>

>I recently got lucky at the wonderfully antiquated LeJeune's Bakery

>in Jeanerette, La. LeJeune's is famous for its French bread, which in

>Louisiana means a puffy white loaf particularly suited to

>muffalettas - the Louisiana version of the hero sandwich whose bread

>is soaked with olive salad and layered with provolone and meats like

>salami and ham. I wasn't surprised to hear the secret of LeJeune's

>exceptional flavor and soft but pliant crumb, but I was delighted:

>lard. The baker proudly led me to a tub of golden lard he had bought

>from the farm down the road. I was looking at a tub of joy.

>

>But when I went deeper into Cajun country, to bakeries down the

>highway from LeJeune's, or asked at restaurants where cooks once

>swore by lard for the lightest biscuits and fried catfish, I was met

>with the same misbegotten pride: " We only use vegetable fat, it's so

>much healthier. "

>

>Vegetable shortening, of course, tastes like greasy nothing. And

>there is ample evidence, as the city health department knows, that it

>is anything but good for you. Vegetable shortening (vegetable oil

>that is partially hydrogenated to make it solid - the " trans "

>in " trans fat " ) did seem like a miracle in the early days of

>industrialized food. Indeed, early in my mother's marriage when she

>spent a month making a pie a day to perfect her crust-making skills,

>she used the fat she grew up on: Crisco, developed by industry to

>mimic the virtues of lard but relieve housewives of the burden of

>rendering their own fat. It was useful not just to kosher-keeping

>cooks like my mother but to city dwellers, who lived far from a

>reliable source of lard (any Italian cook will still tell you that

>the only trustworthy lard comes from a pig you know). Crisco could be

>used solid for baking, or melted for frying. It didn't need

>refrigeration, and it was inexpensive.

>

>Then came the damning conclusions of the first long-range studies of

>the national postwar epidemic of heart disease, and the countrywide

>fear of saturated fats. Butter, cream and egg yolks were the first to

>go, to the heartbreak of cooks just learning the glories of French

>cuisine, and lard soon followed. Besides, lard seemed old-fashioned -

>redolent of poverty and its companion cuisines.

>

>Now trans fats are considered the devil, and vegetable shortening is

>worse than butter could ever dream of being. After prodding by

>nutrition advocates, the Food and Drug Administration has taken the

>stand that there is no healthy level of trans fat in the diet, and as

>of January will require manufacturers to state the presence of trans

>fats on every food label. Now comes the call from Dr. R.

>Frieden, New York's health commissioner, for restaurants

>to " voluntarily make an oil change and remove artificial trans fat

>from their kitchens. " What are beleaguered manufacturers and cooks to

>do? The loss of trans fats makes things tough. It makes pastry tough

>too.

>

>I have a suggestion for those Old World cooks who are wrestling with

>New World advice: take another look at the fat profile of lard. It

>has half the level of saturated fat of palm kernel oil (about 80

>percent saturated fat) or coconut oil (about 85 percent) and its

>approximately 40 percent saturated fat is lower than butter's nearly

>60 percent. Today's miracle, olive oil, is much lower in saturated

>fat, as everyone knows, but it does have some: about 13 percent. As

>for monounsaturated fat, the current savior, olive oil contains a

>saintly 74 percent, yes. But scorned lard contains a very respectable

>45 percent monounsaturated fat - double butter's paltry 23 or so

>percent.

>

>As with all dietary advice, the fat of the day will change. But

>eternal truths will remain: food is always best with little or no

>processing and eaten as close as possible to where it is grown. This

>goes for lard, too. The artisan pig farmers whose fortunes have been

>revived by a new market for pork with real flavor should look into

>selling lard because the supermarket kind is processed and dismal.

>And Dr. Frieden's request may produce a burgeoning metropolitan

>market.

>

>The health department is suggesting alternative oils including olive

>oil and neutral oils like peanut, sunflower and cottonseed. Olive oil

>is a true gift of nature, of course, and good for anything on a grill

>or from the garden. But when it comes to cherry pie or fried chicken

>or French fries, excessive reliance on these oils has the potential

>to clear both arteries and restaurants. Chefs and short-order cooks

>can do everyone a favor - even the guardians of the public health -

>by reaching for the fat that everyone knows tastes the best: lard.

>

>Corby Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

--

" No greater purpose has any man

Than to tend the herd or till the sod,

Yet leave behind him, richer still,

Those acres leased to him by God. "

(provenance unknown)

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[Guest guest]

Tom-

Interesting article, and certainly it would be wonderful to see lard make a

comeback, but it's too bad he perpetuates the myth that saturated fat is

bad and doesn't understand how bad his so-called " neutral " oils are.

Oh well. Maybe someday...

> >I have a suggestion for those Old World cooks who are wrestling with

> >New World advice: take another look at the fat profile of lard. It

> >has half the level of saturated fat of palm kernel oil (about 80

> >percent saturated fat) or coconut oil (about 85 percent) and its

> >approximately 40 percent saturated fat is lower than butter's nearly

> >60 percent. Today's miracle, olive oil, is much lower in saturated

> >fat, as everyone knows, but it does have some: about 13 percent. As

> >for monounsaturated fat, the current savior, olive oil contains a

> >saintly 74 percent, yes. But scorned lard contains a very respectable

> >45 percent monounsaturated fat - double butter's paltry 23 or so

> >percent.

> >

> >As with all dietary advice, the fat of the day will change. But

> >eternal truths will remain: food is always best with little or no

> >processing and eaten as close as possible to where it is grown. This

> >goes for lard, too. The artisan pig farmers whose fortunes have been

> >revived by a new market for pork with real flavor should look into

> >selling lard because the supermarket kind is processed and dismal.

> >And Dr. Frieden's request may produce a burgeoning metropolitan

> >market.

> >

> >The health department is suggesting alternative oils including olive

> >oil and neutral oils like peanut, sunflower and cottonseed. Olive oil

> >is a true gift of nature, of course, and good for anything on a grill

> >or from the garden. But when it comes to cherry pie or fried chicken

> >or French fries, excessive reliance on these oils has the potential

> >to clear both arteries and restaurants. Chefs and short-order cooks

> >can do everyone a favor - even the guardians of the public health -

> >by reaching for the fat that everyone knows tastes the best: lard.

-

[Guest guest]

Tom,

Got me wondering about our pig's fat profile. Has had little grain, good

quality restaurant kitchen scraps and Whole Foods leftovers from town's food

pantry. It's some happy meat!

Wanita

[Guest guest]

>Tom,

>Got me wondering about our pig's fat profile. Has had little grain, good

>quality restaurant kitchen scraps and Whole Foods leftovers from town's food

>pantry. It's some happy meat!

>Wanita

Wanita:

What a nice happy pig! Reminds me of someone I used to work with ...

he made his way thru college raising pigs. Picked up restaurant scraps,

raised pigs with them, then sold the pigs.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

>

> What a nice happy pig! Reminds me of someone I used to work with ...

> he made his way thru college raising pigs. Picked up restaurant scraps,

> raised pigs with them, then sold the pigs.

>

>

> Heidi Jean

atively raising with a neighbor. She has better fencing and pasture.

Getting Whole Foods food pantry leftovers there every Sunday and feeding her

farm on her vacations looks to be all the food cost there'll be for us

raising 3 all together. Produce is almost all organic and bread, whole

grain. Believe me, we debated that as she is GF too. Grain we couldn't find

without soy. Phytoestrogens seemed worse evil than gluten and it's a small

proportion. They're characters, playing with the empty banana box in the

pen, digging to the bottom through the vegetables to get the grapes or any

fruit. Their joy eating whole cantalope is the best.

Wanita

[Guest guest]

>atively raising with a neighbor. She has better fencing and pasture.

>Getting Whole Foods food pantry leftovers there every Sunday and feeding her

>farm on her vacations looks to be all the food cost there'll be for us

>raising 3 all together. Produce is almost all organic and bread, whole

>grain. Believe me, we debated that as she is GF too. Grain we couldn't find

>without soy. Phytoestrogens seemed worse evil than gluten and it's a small

>proportion. They're characters, playing with the empty banana box in the

>pen, digging to the bottom through the vegetables to get the grapes or any

>fruit. Their joy eating whole cantalope is the best.

>Wanita

Wow, what a great project! That's the best kind of cooperative.

I debated getting a pig for OUR leftovers but we aren't

really into pork so much.

As for wheat in animal food ... that's a hard one. Most of our

animals now we have good non-wheat non-soy food for, but

the chicken food is harder. I tried giving them pure corn, but

they stopped laying. I think kefiring meat byproducts would be

the best, with some kefired corn and legumes maybe, but

I haven't had time to experiment. I don't think wheat hurts

pigs, though it's not something I've looked into. I did read

somewhere that pigs do well on lacto-fermented sweet

potato vines (!!! granted sweet potatos aren't related to

regular potatoes, which are toxic, but you wouldn't think

there would be enough calories to grow a pig in them). I'd

guess kefired stuff would be good for them? My chickens

lay twice as much the day after I give them kefired leftovers ...

regular leftovers don't do it, they need to be kefired!

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

At 06:49 PM 8/12/05 -0700, you wrote:

>As for wheat in animal food ... that's a hard one. Most of our

>animals now we have good non-wheat non-soy food for, but

>the chicken food is harder. I tried giving them pure corn, but

>they stopped laying. I think kefiring meat byproducts would be

>the best, with some kefired corn and legumes maybe, but

>I haven't had time to experiment. I don't think wheat hurts

>pigs, though it's not something I've looked into. I did read

>somewhere that pigs do well on lacto-fermented sweet

>potato vines (!!! granted sweet potatos aren't related to

>regular potatoes, which are toxic, but you wouldn't think

>there would be enough calories to grow a pig in them). I'd

>guess kefired stuff would be good for them?

My guy feeds his pigs the skim milk, whey, and whatever leftover yogurt or

kefir he has, and he ends up with great pork. You also reminded me that

he's got everyone all excited now - bacon in four more weeks! He's got

this big turnip field that he planted specifically for the pigs - just

turned them in there, says they have a grand old time in it, and they'll

stay there for four weeks (it's been a week already), then ... we get bacon

again!!!

Haven't gotten a chance to ask him why turnips, too busy enjoying the image

of 30+ pigs tiptoeing through the turnip field (not!). Anyone know if

there's something specific about turnips for pig-raisin'?

MFJ

Everything connects. The universe is not THAT chaotic. Beauty can

still be found in the most amazing places.

[Guest guest]

-

Skim milk specifically and dairy generally are fantastic for raising

pigs! And root vegetables too -- it's a great way to avoid grains. It

sounds like you have a fantastic source of pork, though soil fertility is

always a variable worth looking into.

>My guy feeds his pigs the skim milk, whey, and whatever leftover yogurt or

>kefir he has, and he ends up with great pork. You also reminded me that

>he's got everyone all excited now - bacon in four more weeks! He's got

>this big turnip field that he planted specifically for the pigs - just

>turned them in there, says they have a grand old time in it, and they'll

>stay there for four weeks (it's been a week already), then ... we get bacon

>again!!!

>

>Haven't gotten a chance to ask him why turnips, too busy enjoying the image

>of 30+ pigs tiptoeing through the turnip field (not!). Anyone know if

>there's something specific about turnips for pig-raisin'?

-

[Guest guest]

At 06:53 PM 8/16/05 -0400, you wrote:

>-

>

>Skim milk specifically and dairy generally are fantastic for raising

>pigs! And root vegetables too -- it's a great way to avoid grains. It

>sounds like you have a fantastic source of pork, though soil fertility is

>always a variable worth looking into.

Funny part is, I've never actually eaten any of this guy's straight pork,

just ham and bacon (cured de ole fashioned way of course). I'm still

working on a pig I got from someone else last year. Heh.

As far as soil fertility, our own (missing) Mr. holds this guy up to

all and sundry as a shining example of proper soil management.

So yeah, I think he's got some happy pigs there. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, bacon.

MFJ

Everything connects. The universe is not THAT chaotic. Beauty can

still be found in the most amazing places.