10 BULLETIN 469, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



istic nutty flavor, is much thicker than ordinary cream, and contains 

 about 60 per cent of fat. 



LARD. 



Pork fat is one of the more widely used of the animal fats, being 

 eaten in a variety of forms, such as bacon, ham, fresh and cured 

 pork, and lard, which is used principally for culinary purposes. The 

 best grade of lard, commonly known as leaf lard, is rendered from 

 the fat which surrounds the kidneys of the animal, but commer- 

 cial lard is often rendered from any or all of the fatty portions of 

 the animal and could be more exactly termed pork fat. Since lard 

 contains a relative^ small amount of the harder constituents of fats, 

 it has a moderately low melting point and so is easily handled in the 

 preparation of doughs. This is a reason why some housekeepers 

 prefer it to harder fats for shortening purposes, especially in cold 

 weather. For some special shortening purposes lard may be too soft 

 and require hardening by chilling before use. Pure lard should be 

 white in color and practical^ 7 free from taste or smell. Home- 

 rendered lard may contain varying amounts of water, according to 

 the mode of rendering, but that containing the smallest quantity has 

 the best keeping qualities; the commercial product contains prac- 

 tically no water. Formerly lard was sometimes adulterated by the 

 addition of different substances, but with more stringent regulations 

 this has practically ceased, and the commercial product is generally 

 wholesome and prepared under sanitary conditions from animals 

 which have been inspected before slaughter. 



BEEF FAT. 



Beef fat contains a large amount of stearin and is therefore harder 

 than either butter or lard. The hardness and other characteristics 

 of beef fat, as well as other animal fats, vary somewhat according to 

 the part of the body from which they are obtained; for example, 

 brisket fat, from the breast of the animal, is softer than rendered 

 suet, the fat surrounding the kidney. The hardness of beef fat, and 

 its rather pronounced flavor, which is unpleasant to some people, have 

 doubtless prevented its more extensive use for culinary purposes. 

 Many attempts have been made to remove the flavor, but apparently 

 no method has been discovered which gives results satisf actorv enough 

 to warrant its use on a commercial scale. Finely chopped unrendered 

 suet is quite often used for shortening in such dishes as suet pud- 

 dings. Rendered beef fat, or tallow, as it is sometimes called, is used 

 by many people for shortening purposes, being mixed with butter or 

 some other fat to soften it. It is sometimes sold in the market for 

 this purpose, and in many homes beef suet or small scraps of fat 

 trimmed from roasts, etc., are rendered for use in shortening and 



