Olive Oil’s Great. But Have You Tried Lard?

My colleague Lan Lam even made this swap at first when she was developing a recipe for cacio e uova, a Neopolitan egg and cheese pasta that traditionally calls for lard. But a conversation with Italian food historian Francine Segan made her reconsider that choice—and our whole team was sure glad she did. While the dish boasted a subtle complexity when made with olive oil, lard made the pasta taste both fuller and richer, the cheese flavor heightened, and lighter and cleaner on the palate. Consider me a convert.

But of course, this discovery isn’t anything new: This creamy pork fat was this country’s favorite fat for baking and frying for centuries, and it is still a common sight in kitchens in Thailand, China, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Mexico, and the American South. If you’re unfamiliar with lard, but want to make use of this powerfully porky fat in your kitchen, read on. 

Lard can typically be found in the meat section, in the oil or baking supply aisle near the shortening, or in the refrigerated section near the butter. The most versatile lards taste neutral, clean and rich, but others taste savory and porky. While we like both, if you’re planning to use lard in a variety of applications, savory and sweet, we recommend opting for the former. Some lards have been hydrogenated, a process that helps the fat firm up and resist oxidizing, but we recommend looking for a lard that is not hydrogenated or only partially hydrogenated, as this process has been linked to health issues.

Here are some ideas for applications that could benefit from the added richness of swapping in lard for oil or butter.

• Tortillas
• Fried rice
• Charred vegetables
• Roasted potatoes
• Fried chicken
• Carnitas
• Cake doughnuts
• Turkey confit