Lard is rendered pig fat and what our ancestors used for generations. Lard is high in polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats, those are the good fats that your body needs. There are studies that show that the oleic acid in lard; a monounsaturated fat; is linked to decreased risk of depression. It is also show to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) while not altering the HDL (good cholesterol). Lard can be cooked at a higher temperature than other fats which means less is absorbed into your foods. My grandmother cooked with lard her whole life and lived to be 98 years old. It wasn't until we all started eating fake low fat diets that we as a generation gained weight. Think about our grandparents generation, there weren't very many over weight people, hardly anyone had cancer or heart disease. I really believe that the reason our generation is facing so many health and weight problems is because our food is not REAL anymore. Margarine is a butter like hydrogenated and refined substance made with plant oils and water. It triples the risk of coronary heart disease, is high in Trans fatty acids amongst a huge list of other health problems. Yet we are trained to reach for it in the store rather than a stick of butter that is made from milk cream. Crisco is horrid stuff made from hydrogenated cotton seed oil. Lard from the store is BAD BAD BAD and let me tell you why.....it is hydrogenated, but rendering lard at home from farm raised pigs is easy, healthy and what our grandmothers did. It goes back to my rule.... If my Grandmother couldn't get it, I won't put it in my cupboards!
I get my pork fat from my own pig or from a local farmer. If you look around where you live you can find local pork fat to render into lard too.
I will put up a post soon showing how I render lard.
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