Fatback
Encyclopedia
Fatback is a cut of meat from a domestic pig
. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue
(subcutaneous fat) under the skin of the back, with or without the skin (pork rind
). Fatback is "hard fat", distinct from the visceral fat that occurs in the abdominal cavity and is called "soft fat" and leaf lard.
Like other types of pig fat, fatback may be rendered to make a high quality lard
, and is one source of salt pork
. Finely diced or coarsely ground fatback is an important ingredient in sausage making
and in some meat dishes.
Fatback is an important element of traditional charcuterie
. In several European cultures it is used to make specialty bacon
. Containing no skeletal muscle
, this bacon is a delicacy.
At one time fatback was Italy's basic cooking fat, especially in regions where olive trees are sparse or absent, but health concerns have reduced its popularity. However, it provides a rich, authentic flavour for the classic battuto – sautéed vegetables, herbs and flavourings – that forms the basis of many traditional dishes. Nowadays, pancetta is often used instead.
Fatback is processed into slab bacon by many methods, including brine curing, dry curing, smoking, or boiling. Usually the skin (rind) is left on.
This fatback bacon is widely eaten throughout Europe
. In Polish, it is called boczek, since it comes from the side of the pig and has long been a key component of bigos
. In Italy
it is called lardo
, and notable examples are Valle d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad
and Lardo di Colonnata. In Ukraine
, Russia
, and other Russian
-speaking areas of the former Soviet Union, it is called salo
. In Hungary
, where it is called szalonna
, it is very popular for campfire cookouts (szalonnasütés). In Germany
, where it is called Rückenspeck (back pork fat), it is one of two cuts known as Speck
(cold smoked ham, made from the hind leg of pork).
where it is typically cooked in the same manner as regular fatback. It has a much higher meat content, as much as 50% by volume, and is typically salt cured
and sold in small blocks that can be cut and fried or used in other dishes. It resembles regular bacon in many respects, including the marbling of meat and fat, although it is typically sold in smaller blocks. Like many cured pork products, it is typically very high in sodium
due to the salt
content.
Fatback is a traditional part of southern US cuisine
and soul food
, where it is used for fried pork rinds (known there as cracklings), and to flavor stewed vegetables such as greens and black-eyed pea
s. A common delicacy is strips of heavily salted and fried fatback. Fatback was extremely popular in the South during the Great Depression
because it is an inexpensive piece of meat. In the southwestern United States
, fried fatback is known by its Spanish name, chicharrón.
s including nduja
, cudighi
, and cotechino Modena
.
or pâté
, and thin strips of fatback are inserted under the skin of lean gamebirds for roasting. These techniques are barding and larding, respectively, and in both the fatback is used without the rind. Fatback also is used to make lardon
s, salt pork, and lard.
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue
Adipose tissue
In histology, adipose tissue or body fat or fat depot or just fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. It is technically composed of roughly only 80% fat; fat in its solitary state exists in the liver and muscles. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts...
(subcutaneous fat) under the skin of the back, with or without the skin (pork rind
Pork rind
Pork rind , is the fried or roasted skin of a pig. Frying melts most of the fat from the pork rind...
). Fatback is "hard fat", distinct from the visceral fat that occurs in the abdominal cavity and is called "soft fat" and leaf lard.
Like other types of pig fat, fatback may be rendered to make a high quality lard
Lard
Lard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
, and is one source of salt pork
Salt pork
Salt pork or white bacon is salt-cured pork. It is prepared from one of three primal cuts: pork side, pork belly, or fatback. Depending on the cut, respectively, salt pork may be lean, streaky or entirely fatty. Made from the same cuts as bacon, salt pork resembles uncut slab bacon, but is...
. Finely diced or coarsely ground fatback is an important ingredient in sausage making
Sausage making
Sausage making originally developed as a means to preserve and transport meat. Primitive societies learned that dried berries and spices could be added to dried meat. By 600-500 BC there is mention of sausages from China, Rome and Greece. Sausages come in two main types: fresh and cured. Cured...
and in some meat dishes.
Fatback is an important element of traditional charcuterie
Charcuterie
Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire...
. In several European cultures it is used to make specialty bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
. Containing no skeletal muscle
Skeletal muscle
Skeletal muscle is a form of striated muscle tissue existing under control of the somatic nervous system- i.e. it is voluntarily controlled. It is one of three major muscle types, the others being cardiac and smooth muscle...
, this bacon is a delicacy.
At one time fatback was Italy's basic cooking fat, especially in regions where olive trees are sparse or absent, but health concerns have reduced its popularity. However, it provides a rich, authentic flavour for the classic battuto – sautéed vegetables, herbs and flavourings – that forms the basis of many traditional dishes. Nowadays, pancetta is often used instead.
Bacon
This fatback bacon is widely eaten throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In Polish, it is called boczek, since it comes from the side of the pig and has long been a key component of bigos
Bigos
Bigos , known as a Hunter's Stew, is a traditional meat stew typical of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusians and Ukrainian cuisine, considered to be the Polish and Ukrainian national dish....
. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
it is called lardo
Lardo
Lardo is a type of salume made by curing strips of fatback with rosemary and other herbs and spices.The most famous lardo is from the Tuscan hamlet of Colonnata, where lardo has been made since Roman times...
, and notable examples are Valle d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad
Valle d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad
Vallée d’Aoste Lard d’Arnad is a cured pork product—specifically a species of lardo—produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the commune of Arnad in Aosta Valley, Italy...
and Lardo di Colonnata. In Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and other Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
-speaking areas of the former Soviet Union, it is called salo
Salo (food)
Salo is a traditional Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian food: cured slabs of fatback , with or without skin. As a trend, the Eastern European one is salted or brine fermented, hence the names slonina/slana/szalonna...
. In Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, where it is called szalonna
Szalonna (bacon)
Szalonna is Hungarian for back bacon made of smoked pork fat with the rind and is traditional in Hungarian cuisine. It is often smoked or cooked in some manner before purchase so that the buyer can eat it without further preparation. It is very different from popular American bacon, which is...
, it is very popular for campfire cookouts (szalonnasütés). In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where it is called Rückenspeck (back pork fat), it is one of two cuts known as Speck
Speck
Speck is a distinctively juniper-flavored ham originally from Tyrol, a historical region that since 1918 partially lies in Austria and partially in Italy...
(cold smoked ham, made from the hind leg of pork).
Streak of lean
"Streak o' lean" is fatback with some meat still attached. It is still popular in many areas, particularly the Southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
where it is typically cooked in the same manner as regular fatback. It has a much higher meat content, as much as 50% by volume, and is typically salt cured
Salting (food)
Salting is the preservation of food with dry edible salt. It is related to pickling . It is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, and two historically significant salt-cured foods are dried and salted cod and salt-cured meat.Salting is used because most bacteria, fungi and other potentially...
and sold in small blocks that can be cut and fried or used in other dishes. It resembles regular bacon in many respects, including the marbling of meat and fat, although it is typically sold in smaller blocks. Like many cured pork products, it is typically very high in sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
due to the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
content.
Pork rinds
Cuisine of the Southern United States
The cuisine of the Southern United States is defined as the historical regional culinary form of states generally south of the Mason Dixon Line dividing Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware as well as along the Ohio River, and extending west to Southern Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.The most...
and soul food
Soul food
Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans. It is closely related to the cuisine of the Southern United States...
, where it is used for fried pork rinds (known there as cracklings), and to flavor stewed vegetables such as greens and black-eyed pea
Black-eyed pea
The black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean and chawalie or lobia in various languages in India and Pakistan, is a subspecies of the cowpea, grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. The bean mutates easily, giving rise to a number of varieties. The common commercial one is...
s. A common delicacy is strips of heavily salted and fried fatback. Fatback was extremely popular in the South during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
because it is an inexpensive piece of meat. In the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, fried fatback is known by its Spanish name, chicharrón.
In sausages
Fatback is an important ingredient in notable traditional sausageSausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s including nduja
Nduja
'Nduja is a spicy spreadable sausage made with pork. It is typically made with parts of the pig such as the shoulder, belly and jowl as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices...
, cudighi
Cudighi
A Cudighi is a spicy Italian sausage that can be bought in links or can be served as a sandwich on a long, hard roll, often with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. Cudighi came from Italy to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It can be served many ways in many Italian dishes. The sandwich was...
, and cotechino Modena
Cotechino Modena
Cotechino Modena or Cotechino di Modena, also sometimes spelled cotecchino or coteghino, is a fresh sausage made from pork, fatback, and pork rind, and comes from Modena, Italy, where it has PGI status...
.
In cooking
In French cooking, very thinly sliced fatback is used to line the mold when making a terrineTerrine (food)
A terrine is a French forcemeat loaf similar to a pâté, made with more coarsely chopped ingredients. Terrines are usually served cold or at room temperature.- See also :* Terrine , the cooking vessel* Pâté* Galantine* Mousseline...
or pâté
Pâté
Pâté is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and either wine or cognac, armagnac or brandy...
, and thin strips of fatback are inserted under the skin of lean gamebirds for roasting. These techniques are barding and larding, respectively, and in both the fatback is used without the rind. Fatback also is used to make lardon
Lardon
Lardon is a small strip or cube of pork fat used in a wide variety of cuisines to flavor savory foods and salads. In French cuisine, lardons are also used for larding, by threading them with a needle into meats that are to be braised or roasted...
s, salt pork, and lard.
Notable traditional dishes
Dishes commonly made with fatback products include:- Túrós csuszaTúrós csuszaTuros csusza is a Hungarian savoury curd cheese noodle dish or cottage cheese noodle dish made with small home made noodles or pasta.Turoscsusza is a traditional pasta dish of the Hungarian cuisine....
- Hoppin' JohnHoppin' JohnHoppin' John is the Southern United States' version of the rice and beans dish traditional throughout West Africa. It consists of black-eyed peas and rice, with chopped onion and sliced bacon, seasoned with a bit of salt. Some people substitute ham hock or fatback for the conventional bacon; a...
- TourtièreTourtièreA tourtière is a meat pie originating from Quebec, usually made with minced pork and/or veal, or beef. It is a traditional part of the Christmas and/or Christmas Eve réveillon and New Year's Eve meal in Quebec, but is also enjoyed and sold in grocery stores all year long...
- CiccioliCiccioliCiccioli is a food prepared from pig fat in the Italian district of Emilia Romagna and elsewhere in northern and central Italy. It is popular in Modena, Bologna, Parma and in Romagna....