Pork rind
This article possibly contains original research. (August 2016) |
Type | Cooking and baking staple |
---|---|
Main ingredients | Pig skin |
Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways.
It can be
Snack
Often a byproduct of the rendering of lard, it is also a way of making even the tough skin of a pig edible. In many ancient cultures, animal fats were the only way of obtaining oil for cooking and they were common in many people's diets until the Industrial Revolution made vegetable oils more common and more affordable.
Microwaveable pork rinds are sold in bags that resemble microwaveable popcorn and can be eaten still warm. Pickled pork rinds, though, are often enjoyed refrigerated and cold. Unlike the crisp and fluffy texture of fried pork rinds, pickled pork rinds are very rich and buttery, much like foie gras.
Preparation
For the large-scale production of commercial pork rinds, frozen, dried pork skin pellets are used. They are first rehydrated in water with added flavoring, and then fried in pork fat at 200–210 °C (392–410 °F). Cooking makes the rinds expand five times their original size[1] and float on the oil surface. The rinds are then removed from the fat, flavored, and air-dried. Antioxidants may be added to improve stability.[3]
Nutritional value
Like many snack foods, pork rinds can be high in
Regional variations
Americas
Brazil
Torresmo is a popular snack in Brazil, usually served in bite-sized chunks. It is also a common accompaniment to typical dishes such as feijoada and virado.
Colombia
Chicharrones is the term for pork rinds in
Canada
Scrunchions is a Newfoundland term for small pieces of pork rind or pork fatback fried until rendered and crispy. They are often used as a flavoring over other foods, such as salt fish and potatoes, and mainly used as a condiment for fish and brewis.[6][7]
In
Costa Rica
Chicharrones are commonly served in homes or snacks in bars and restaurants, little sodas (small restaurants with home-cooking flavor business) also add to their menu Vigoron or empenadas with Chicharrones and famous snack dish called chifrijo.
Preparation could change from using pig fat as a base, boiling, and later frying, but many prefer using a wok-like pot and wood-fire cooking.
Mexico
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
It is commonly served in homes across Mexico. It can be served in a soup sometimes called chicharrón con chile (pork rind with chili sauce) or salsa de chicharrón (pork rind sauce). It is often served as an appetizer, or even offered as a snack at family reunions. However, chicharrones can be purchased on the street[8] and are usually eaten with hot sauce and lime juice.
One popular breakfast is salsa de chicharron, (also chicharrón con chile or just chicharrón in some regions) cooked in green tomato or tomato salsa spiced with epazote. If the liquid is drained, the pork rind can be used in tacos, either as fast food products or kitchen-made.
The dryness in pork rind pairs with humidity and softness in pico de gallo (diced tomato, avocado, onion, cilantro [coriander leaf], and chili mix), and both are often paired to fill a corn tortilla as a taco.
A byproduct in frying rinds is the decanted residues in the fryer called asiento or boronas (grounds). The process requires uniformly cooking rinds, and while the product dehydrates, it cracks, losing small pieces, which are collected afterward and become a thick, fatty salsa, that can be mixed as an ingredient in other salsa de chicharrón recipes or used for its flavor and fat in pan frying. The second byproduct in frying rinds is lard.
Another variety is duritos, also called chicharrones de harina. These are similar to traditional chicharrones, only made with fried flour leavened with baking soda, instead of fried pig skin. This variety also features a pinwheel shape. Like cueritos, this food is popular with street vendors. They are infrequently sold in Mexico but tend to be a Mexican-American version of the popular chicharron.[9]
In the
United States
Pork rinds is the North American name for fried or roasted skins of pigs. Pieces of fried meat, skin, or membrane produced as a byproduct of rendering lard are also called cracklings. Cracklings consist of either roasted or fried pork rind that has had salt rubbed into it and scored with a sharp knife: "A crackling offers a square of skin that cracks when you bite into it, giving way to a little pocket of hot fat and a salty layer of pork meat."[12]
Cajun cracklings (or "cracklins") from Cajun cuisine (called gratons in Louisiana French), are fried pieces of pork fat with a small amount of attached skin, flavored after frying with a mixture of peppery Cajun spices.[12]
Pork rinds normally refer to a snack food commercially sold in plastic bags. They are made in a two-step process: pork skin is first rendered and dried, and then fried and puffed.[13] These are also called by the Spanish name, chicharrón, a term from Latin America.
Pork rinds sold in the United States are occasionally stained with a pink or purple spot. These edible marks are actually USDA stamps used on the skins to mark that they have been inspected. They are not harmful.[14]
In 2003, sales of pork rinds experienced rapid growth, but they have dropped by $31 million since 2004, when they reached $134 million, and now makeup barely more than 1% of the salty snack market.[12]
Pork Rinds were a favorite snack of President George H.W. Bush. In an interview in 1988, he admitted to liking pork rinds in much the same way that Ronald Reagan was known to enjoy
Asia
China
Zhīzhā (脂渣) is made from pork and is extremely popular in Qingdao, Shandong. It is a byproduct of lard. Lard is usually sold for around $1, but zhīzhā may be sold for about $30–40 and huāzhī for around $10.
- Jīngròu zhīzhā (精肉脂渣) – The skin is removed and sliced as thin as a gold coin. After the extraction of lard, the rest is hard and tastes like a salty cracker, seasoned with salt and MSG while it is hot.
- Huāzhī (花脂) – This is made from intestines, chopped and deep-fried twice, and used in stew or soup.
Philippines
Chicharon (derived from the Spanish chicharrón; also spelled tsitsaron) is usually bought from
Thailand
Khæbh̄mū, or khaep mu, (
Vietnam
Pork rinds used to be a very common food in
Indonesia
Europe
In most
In Lithuania and Latvia, they are mixed with boiled peas and served as a snack. This is called žirniai su spirgučiais in Lithuanian and zirņi ar speķi in Latvian (lit. "peas with cracklings"). They are also usually served with Lithuanian cepelinai.
They are part of the traditional Czech dish bramborové knedlíky se škvarkama a kyselým zelím, or potato dumplings with cracklings and sauerkraut. See the picture.
In Hungary, cracklings – tepertő – may be made from pork or goose skin. They are usually served with salt and bread, sometimes vegetables. Their consumption is at its peak during the season of pig slaughter, as it is then when pork rind is at its freshest. It is usually consumed as a breakfast or dinner food. A kind of biscuit, tepertős pogácsa, is made with crackings.[25]
In Italy, they are known as Ciccioli, the outer layer of a pig's skin.
In
In Portugal, they are called torresmos (same as in Brazil). They are a common addition to other cooked dishes, for the added flavor and fat content, or also enjoyed as a snack. Also used to make bolo de torresmos ("pork rind cake"), which is a traditional bread baked with bits of torresmos inside it.
In Denmark and Sweden, Flæskesvær/Fläsksvål is a traditional snack served cold and dried (compare flæskesteg).
United Kingdom
Pork scratchings is the British name for deep-fried, salted, crunchy pork rind with fat produced separately from the meat, eaten cold.[26] Pork scratchings typically are heavy and hard, have a crispy layer of fat under the skin, and are flavoured only with salt. The pig hair is usually removed by quickly burning the skin of the pig before it is cut into pieces and cooked in hot fat. In comparison, crackling is distinguished from normal pork rind in the United Kingdom by the fact that it is cut from a freshly roasted joint of pork (usually pork loin or pork belly), or the edge of a pork chop, after the meat has finished cooking. It is usually served warm or hot, before the fat on the underside of the roasted skin can finish cooling down and re-solidifying. Larger joints of pork from the leg or shoulder when roasted in the oven can produce an unevenly crackled rind due to the curvature of the joint: this can be rectified by removing the rind after the joint is cooked and resting, and laying it flat on a baking tray or directly on the oven shelf bars and further cooking at a high oven temperature or by using the grill setting.
Pork scratchings are sold as a
There are three distinct types. Traditional scratchings are made from shank rind and cooked just once. Pork crackling is also made from shoulder rind but is fried twice. It is first rendered at a low heat, and then cooked at a higher temperature for a less fatty, crispier result, or cut from roasted pork joints to produce heavier but less fatty results. A more recent development is the pork crunch, which is made from the back rind and again double-fried to become a large, puffy snack.[28] Some supermarkets now sell just the layer of skin and fat (no meat), in a raw form for home grilling or roasting, or cooked and ready to eat from hot food counters. The term "crackling" is also often applied to a twice-cooked variety of pork scratchings.
See also
- Chicharron
- Ciccioli, an Italian food made from pressed pork scraps
- Čvarci
- Gribenes, a Jewish snack made from chicken skin
- Krupuk kulit, a similar Indonesian snack but more commonly made from cattle skin.
References
- ^ a b PorkRinds.com. "How are Pork Rinds Made?". PorkRinds.com. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "History of pork scratchings". Freshers Foods. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-56676-932-7. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- Men's Health
- ^ "Snacks, pork skins, plain". FoodData Central. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "scrunchins n pl". Heritage.nf.ca. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Canadian Food Words by Bill Casselman sample page two". Billcasselman.com. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-313-08790-5. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ "Chicharrones de Harina, a Classic Mexican Street Treat".
- ^ Chef Jeremiah Tower finds third act in Mexico
- ^ Eve, Zibart "Ethnic Food Lover's Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World"[1]
- ^ a b c Severson, Kim (2 February 2010). "For the Big Game? Why, Pigskins". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ Zeldes, Leah A. (12 May 2010). "Eat this! Chicharron, mighty meaty crunch". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Since 1919 – When The Chips Are Down, Be Sure They're Husman's | Husman's Snacks". Husmans.com. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Stoffel, Jennifer (7 June 1989). "Suddenly, Pork Rinds Are Classy Crunch". The New York Times.
- ^ "Fried Pork Skin « Traveling Chili". Travelingchili.com. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Hsiao, Tina (14 October 2011). "Chiang Mai cuisine: The city's top snacks and curries". CNNGo.com. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Crispy Puffed Pork Rinds แคบหมู (Kab Muu)". Ediblyasian.info. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ 2Kauhiwai (21 April 2010). "Kaeb Moo – fried pork rind HD.mov". Retrieved 21 September 2012 – via YouTube.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Thai Food: Fried Pig Skins (Cab Moo)". Joysthaifood.com. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "ขอทราบ สูตรและวิธีทำน้ำจิ้มหมูหัน". Gotoknow.org. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "::Sa makhuea-pro, Lanna Food, Thai Food, Thai Lanna Food, Food and Cuisine, Northern Thai Food, Herb, Thai Ingredient::". Library.cmu.ac.th. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Bún ốc tóp mỡ ngõ Mai Hương". Bưu điện VN (in Vietnamese). 14 January 2011.
- ^ Thu Hường (28 April 2011). "Lạ miệng tóp mỡ "cặp kè" bún ốc" (in Vietnamese).
- ISBN 0517169630, p. 350
- ^ Severson, Kim (2 February 2010). "For the Big Game? Why, Pigskins". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ "Pork Scratchings taken to both North and South Poles – Scratchings sale to bring home the bacon". 23 April 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
- ^ "Rind of the Times". The Independent. London. 22 June 2004.