From Kitchen Staple to Market Outcast
For centuries, rendered animal fat, including lard from pigs, was a primary cooking fat around the world. It was a readily available byproduct of pig farming and was highly valued for its culinary properties, including a high smoke point and ability to create exceptionally flaky pie crusts. However, the industrial revolution and rapid technological changes set the stage for its dramatic fall from grace in the 20th century.
The Industrial Challenge: Crisco Enters the Market
The most significant challenge to lard came in 1911 with the introduction of Crisco by Procter & Gamble. At the time, P&G, a candle-maker, was looking for a new market for its cottonseed oil. Scientists discovered how to hydrogenate liquid vegetable oil, turning it into a solid, shelf-stable shortening. P&G marketed Crisco as a modern, pure, and clean alternative to animal fats like lard and butter, which were often seen as antiquated. This aggressive marketing campaign included free cookbooks containing only Crisco-based recipes, effectively educating and converting a new generation of cooks.
The 'Jungle' Scandal and Shifting Public Perception
Public trust in animal fats was severely damaged years before Crisco's launch, thanks to Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel, The Jungle. While intended to expose the poor working conditions in the meatpacking industry, the book's vivid, fictional descriptions of unsanitary practices, including references to men falling into rendering vats, instilled widespread public disgust for all meat products, including lard. This sentiment created a ripe opportunity for Crisco's advertisers to position their plant-based product as a safer, more sanitary alternative.
The War on Saturated Fat
In the 1950s, a new foe emerged for lard: a widespread scientific consensus began linking saturated fat to heart disease. Though later research would question and nuance this link, the damage was done. Leading health organizations and a public increasingly concerned with cardiovascular health turned against saturated fats. Vegetable oils, with their higher proportion of unsaturated fats, were enthusiastically marketed and embraced as the healthier, 'heart-healthy' choice. This health halo further cemented lard's reputation as a "poverty food" and an unhealthy relic of the past. Interestingly, the hydrogenated vegetable oils that replaced lard were later found to contain trans fats, which are now widely understood to be extremely unhealthy.
The Resurgence of Traditional Fats
Today, the story has come full circle. With growing distrust of processed foods and partially hydrogenated oils, there is a renewed interest in traditional, minimally processed fats like lard. Many chefs and home cooks have rediscovered its superior performance in baking and frying, appreciating its high smoke point and flavor-neutral profile, especially in unhydrogenated varieties.
Lard vs. Industrial Shortening: A Comparison
To understand the fundamental shift, it helps to compare traditional lard with its industrial-era replacement, vegetable shortening.
| Feature | Traditional Lard | Vegetable Shortening (pre-2018) | Modern Vegetable Shortening (post-2018) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Rendered pork fat | Hydrogenated cottonseed, soybean, or palm oil | Fully hydrogenated palm and soybean oils |
| Processing | Minimally processed (rendered) | Highly processed (hydrogenated) | Still highly processed (interesterified) |
| Fat Composition | High in monounsaturated fats (~45%), moderate saturated fat (~40%) | High in saturated and trans fats | High in saturated fat (no trans fat) |
| Health Reputation | Historically demonized, now regaining appreciation | Initially marketed as 'healthy,' later exposed for trans fats | Marketed as 'trans-fat-free' and 'heart-healthy' |
| Flavor | Mild, neutral, or slightly savory (depending on type) | Often flavorless | Generally neutral |
| Performance | Excellent for flaky crusts and high-heat frying due to stability | Creates flaky textures; poor stability at high heat | Good for baking; better high-heat stability than older versions |
Conclusion
People stopped cooking with lard not due to a single cause, but a perfect storm of factors. An aggressive marketing blitz for industrially produced, shelf-stable vegetable shortenings like Crisco, a shocking expose on the meatpacking industry, and evolving dietary guidelines that erroneously vilified saturated fats all contributed to its decline. For decades, vegetable shortenings were seen as the modern, safer, and healthier choice. However, as scientific understanding and consumer preferences have shifted once more, the unprocessed, flavorful, and reliable qualities of lard are seeing a slow but steady revival among chefs and home cooks seeking traditional ingredients.
The Real Reasons People Abandoned Lard
- Industrial Marketing: Aggressive ad campaigns from companies like Procter & Gamble effectively positioned Crisco as a superior, modern alternative to traditional animal fats.
- The Jungle Novel: This expose on the meatpacking industry, though fictionalized, created significant public fear and disgust towards all meat products, including lard.
- Flawed Health Science: The mid-20th-century anti-saturated fat craze, which linked saturated fat consumption to heart disease, pushed people toward what they believed were healthier vegetable oils.
- Convenience and Availability: Industrially produced vegetable shortening was cheap, easily accessible, and had a longer, shelf-stable life than rendered lard.
- Misleading 'Heart-Healthy' Claims: Vegetable shortening was aggressively promoted as 'heart-healthy,' despite later being found to contain harmful trans fats.
- Association with a 'Poverty Food': As it fell out of culinary favor, lard gained a reputation as a cheap or 'poverty' food, pushing it off the tables of more affluent households.
FAQs
Q: Is lard healthier than vegetable oil? A: Modern nutrition science has complicated this picture. Lard contains high levels of monounsaturated fats, similar to olive oil, and has no trans fats in its natural, unhydrogenated state. Many vegetable oils, on the other hand, are high in less stable polyunsaturated fats and, historically, were processed with harmful trans fats.
Q: What is the main health concern with lard? A: The primary health concern has long been its saturated fat content. However, recent studies and a reevaluation of dietary guidelines suggest the link between saturated fat and heart disease is not as straightforward as once thought, and the type of fat matters.
Q: What is the difference between lard and vegetable shortening? A: Lard is rendered pork fat, a minimally processed animal product. Vegetable shortening is a solid fat made from hydrogenated liquid vegetable oils like cottonseed or soybean oil. While they have similar uses in baking, their sources and health impacts differ significantly, especially regarding trans fats in older shortening products.
Q: How did Upton Sinclair's The Jungle impact lard sales? A: While the novel focused on working conditions, its graphic descriptions of unsanitary meatpacking facilities disgusted the public and created a negative perception of all animal-based products, including lard.
Q: Why was Crisco seen as a superior product to lard? A: Crisco was marketed as a pure, clean, and modern product, contrasting with the messy, old-fashioned image of lard. Its plant-based origin was used to position it as healthier and more sanitary than animal fat.
Q: Why is lard making a comeback in some kitchens? A: Chefs and home cooks are rediscovering lard for its superior culinary qualities, like making flakier pie crusts and crispier fried foods. The backlash against highly processed seed oils and the re-evaluation of saturated fat's role in a healthy diet have also contributed.
Q: Is all commercially available lard the same? A: No. Many commercial lards are hydrogenated to increase shelf life, which introduces trans fats. High-quality, unhydrogenated "leaf lard" from pasture-raised pigs is prized by bakers for its superior flavor and texture.
Q: Did World War II affect the use of lard? A: Yes, lard was sometimes diverted for military manufacturing during WWII, which further pushed consumers toward substitutes like vegetable shortenings.
Q: When did scientists start changing their view on saturated fats? A: The re-evaluation of saturated fats began in the last 20 years, with nutritionists softening their views and acknowledging that the saturated fat/heart disease link was oversimplified.
Q: Is there an environmental impact to consider with lard vs. vegetable oils? A: Yes. While animal agriculture has environmental concerns, sourcing lard as a byproduct from sustainable pork production can be efficient. Conversely, some vegetable oils like palm oil are linked to environmental issues like deforestation.
Q: What are the benefits of cooking with lard over other fats? A: Lard has a high smoke point, which makes it excellent for high-heat cooking like frying and roasting. It also produces exceptionally tender and flaky baked goods and adds a desirable richness to foods without a strong, overpowering flavor.
