Category: Traditional cooking

Globally, an estimated 30% of food products use animal blood as a key ingredient, particularly in meat-based goods to enhance texture, color, and flavor. This practice, dating back centuries, reveals a resourcefulness deeply ingrained in many culinary traditions, leading many to ask: which foods contain blood?

For centuries, beef tallow was a kitchen staple before being replaced by industrial seed oils in the 20th century. This rendered beef fat, made from slowly heating beef suet until it melts and clarifies, is making a comeback due to its impressive stability and superior flavor.

According to a 2018 BBC report, researchers ranked pork fat as the 8th most nutritious food out of over 1,000 raw foods, a surprising fact that highlights the value of what is considered pork fat. This ingredient is not a single product but refers to several forms derived from different parts of the pig, each with unique properties and culinary applications.

An October 2024 article from Lomilis Market noted that Amish food is often prepared using natural, high-quality ingredients, with many items grown and produced on family farms. This approach highlights what is the Amish diet like, emphasizing self-sufficiency and communal ties through food.