There is an ingredient that is very much neglected, but very used in the past. I am speaking of the lard, that knew in the medieval times its biggest popularity.
The arrival of the barbaric tribes changed the large use of olive oil into the use of lard.
If you don’t know lard is produced from the layer of fat under the pigs’ skin. The pigs at that time where left free to pasture in forests and this is why the size of land was measured by how many pigs it could feed, proving us the importance of pork meat in the diet of that time.
Before dietary reasons the large use of lard was abandoned probably due to the Christian tradition not to eat meat on certain days, although it survived in certain recipes as you can read in a very important recipes book of the end of the 19th century written by Pellegrino Artusi called science in the kitchen and the art of eating well.
Fortunately in Italy the tradition of seasoning the lard with spices and aging it survived to our days. The two most famous are lardo di colonnata and lardo di arnaud. I tasted both and find them extraordinary due to the richness and consistence of the taste elevated by the spices. A good way to eat both for me is to toast the bread, and when still hot layer a thin slice of lard on top. The very best way for Colonnata is how they eat it on the nearby Tuscan coast from where it is producecd. With the lard they put an anchovy under oil on the top.
While in the states i was making my mouth watery thinking of food that i think i can’t find here
a light bulb flashed in my head, and believe me than I was very surprised myself. This is what I did
Ingredients for two
lard 2 oz you find it at the supermarket often with the name snowcap lard usually close to the butter incredibly cheap.
2 slices of bread
spices: i used garlic rosemary and pepper. You can add also coriander cloves cinnamon and sage, this are other spices they use in Colonnata.
Take the lard melt it at low heat adding the spices. Toast the bread and than pour the melted lard on top
Inspired by the anchovy on top used on the Tuscan coast i had the idea of pouring a little bit of colata di Alici . Well this was the extra and i invite everyone to try. I always love to please my taste buds with new sensations.
I will write more about using lard as for certain recipes the use of lard is fantastic. You can also add the melted lard with spices on food like a sauce. For example on beef it gives a great flavor.
Dear reader don’t fix yourself with not eating certain food due to the overweight mania, because than you should explain me, why people in the past where thinner and not eating all this dietary food.
Believe me it is better what is natural like olive oil lard or butter to what is extracted with hexane an alkane hydrocarbon used in solvents to extract oils for cooking.
Try always to pare the lard based dishes with a good Italian lambrusco. When eating lard lambrusco gives the pleasant sensation of cleaning your mouth.
Mangia! Tommaso
