Fat

Meat

Fat

Pork fat as a general culinary fat includes back fat, leaf lard, and rendered drip—the foundation of sausage texture, confit, frying, and pastry. Good pork fat tastes clean and sweet; breed and diet shape aroma, from mild commercial pigs to nutty Iberian fat. Render low and slow, strain, and store cold. Use for roasting potatoes, confiting meats, and balancing lean grind. Match fat hardness to product: firm back fat for salami, soft leaf for pie crust. Discard rancid stock—fat is not immortal.

Track this ingredient

Unit

Cuts & parts

Characteristics

Preparations

ConfitPastryRenderedRoasted

Traits

BastingFlavour CarrierRenderingRichSavoury

Nutrition and pairings

Nutrition

Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.

Nutrition Facts

Per 100 g edible portion

Calories 892

Amount per 100 g

  • Total Fat 99 g
  • Saturated Fat 34.7 g
  • Trans Fat 0.2 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat 39.6 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat 24.8 g
  • Cholesterol 82.2 mg
  • Sodium 58.4 mg
  • Salt 0.15 g
  • Total Carbohydrate 0 g
  • Dietary Fibre 0 g
  • Total Sugars 0 g
  • Complex / starch 0 g
  • Protein 0.2 g
  • Water 0.3 g
Detailed nutrients

Rendered or depot fat is nearly pure lipid energy with negligible carbohydrate.

History

Pre-industrial kitchens valued the pig as much for stored fat as for lean meat.

Central European lard cookery built daily frying and baking on pork fat stores.

Chef culture rehabilitated pork fat after decades of industrial oil dominance.

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