Pork lard - benefits or harm to the body, methods of salting lard and how to store it at home.

Despite the fact that lard is almost 100% fat, it is widely used in folk medicine. The first who began to study the phenomenon of lard was Academician Valentin Ivanovich Pokrovsky. It was he who “sorted out” this product and came to the conclusion that nature had balanced the most beneficial substances for the body in lard. These are fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acids. Arachidonic acid, which is responsible for the cellular activity of the body and cholesterol metabolism, deserves special attention. The second is even much more important. Consisting of this very harmful cholesterol, lard, when consumed in moderation, fights cholesterol deposits in the body. At the same time, cholesterol from fat is simply not deposited on the walls of blood vessels, and already formed plaques dissolve. It also contains a lot of such a useful substance as lecithin, which has a beneficial effect on blood vessels - it makes them elastic.

Many modern doctors, using their research and relying on conclusions made earlier, have come to the following conclusion: lard is most useful for those people who, due to their occupation or lifestyle, experience problems with the respiratory system. These are asthmatics, people suffering from bronchitis and tuberculosis. Also, as a preventive measure, lard is good for heavy smokers, tourists and athletes who often travel high in the mountains - the air there is very thin and, therefore, it is very difficult to breathe. It also has a powerful analgesic effect. Lard, but only fresh, can be applied to the areas of pain. It will relieve pain in inflamed joints, eliminate migraines, and literally in a few minutes will remove swelling from the gums and the tooth will stop hurting. Our grandmothers used these and many of its other beneficial properties and fought any pain with the help of a fatty product. Be that as it may, I claim that lard is good for the body.

Methods for salting lard at home.

Basically, people consume it as a food product. There are a variety of recipes for making lard, but according to the types of salting they are divided into three methods:

- dry (lard is salted in dry salt);

— wet (lard is salted in brine);

- hot (this is a type of wet, but when the lard is boiled in brine).

Any type of pickling involves, in addition to the salt itself, the use of various spices. Ready-made salted lard can be further smoked, hot or cold, which will make it even tastier.

How to choose the right lard.

To make lard tasty, you must first choose it correctly. Good-looking product - uniform white or white-pink color. A thin sharp knife goes into fresh lard of good quality quite gently, like cutting into butter. The skin of this product is very thin and flexible.

If you discover that the purchased lard is not the standard of quality, you can try to save it:

- if there is a smell that resembles urine, the lard must be soaked in water. Boar lard, which is exactly what it smells like, will stop smelling unpleasantly if you add a little garlic juice to the water (2 tablespoons per 1 liter of liquid);

- if there are hard fibers in the lard, it must first be salted using any chosen method. Then, the finished lard can be twisted in a meat grinder with garlic - you will get a delicious spread called “Ukrainian lard.” Garlic should be taken to taste and according to the same criterion, ground pepper can be added to the mass.

Video: How to choose good lard - Tips from “Everything will be fine.”

How to properly store salted lard.

Lard salted at home must be stored correctly in the future:

— it is better to put boiled lard in the freezer and use it within three to four months;

- prepared by wet salting - can be stored much longer, up to twelve months;

- lard that has simply been rubbed with dry salt has the shortest shelf life - only one month.

These shelf life periods for salted lard are not very strict. Some lard will be tasty and without any foreign smell in a year, but some will “suffocate” a little after a month. In any case, lard can be used to prepare a variety of dishes even after its shelf life has expired or its consumer qualities have deteriorated.

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