Doing some study on lard makes one wish for the old days...
Found this webpage talking about lard. No scientific research about it health-wise though, at least not much. But it is intresting and talks about this guy's personal experience with lard cooking:
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-foodAn exerpt from this scource says...
"...lard retains many good properties as it is a completely natural and unrefined product it can also be classed as an "antibacterial" product so can in fact be very good for the body by helping to combat disease. Experts have also found that lard can actually help reduce body fat as it contains linoleic acids (CLA's) The fatty acids found in lard also play an important role in promoting growth and maintaining a healthy metabolism."
http://www.hub-uk.com/interesting02/spanish-lard.htmAnd an eye-opening quote from an article published by the familiar Weston Price Foundation:
"While the Germans may have a new-found appreciation for lard--or secretly kept it all along--other cultures are battling with their stance on the fat. For example, a recent article in The New York Times featured a Mexican woman who opened a restaurant in Oaxaca and then bemoaned the fact that the locals were boycotting her establishment because she had substituted canola oil for lard in all her dishes. I side with the locals. Lard, although commonly misidentified as a saturated fat, should really be classified as a monounsaturated fat. According to Mary Enig, author of Know Your Fats, lard is about 40 percent saturated, 50 percent monounsaturated, and contains 10 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is also one of our richest dietary sources of vitamin D.
Obviously, lard is making a comeback from its nadir after years of vilification by big food corporations eager to push their plastic substitutes (see "The Rise and Fall of Crisco," Wise Traditions, Summer 2001).
As for me, I make a sport out of hunting down good sources of lard. Since most of the lard sold in grocery stores (if you are lucky enough to find it at all) contains preservatives like BHT added to prolong its shelf life, I look for farmers who sell what they can't use. Sometimes local butchers carry additive-free lard, or can order it for you."
http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/lard.html I personally have been using lard from the local store because 1. it is refrigerated 2. because I personally have seen it being made (seen that nothing is added) and 3. I know that the hogs are mostly from this state.
It isn't the absolute best, but it is the best for what we can find right now, and I am so glad to be able to use it instead of vegtable shortning or canola oil.
P.S... I am not fat, by the way, lol. Do too much running around for that
