Schmaltz
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 3,767 kJ (900 kcal) |
0 g | |
99.8 g | |
| Saturated | 30 g |
| Monounsaturated | 45 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 21 g |
0 g | |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg |
| Vitamin E | 2.7 mg |
| Selenium | 0.2 mg |
Fat percentage can vary. | |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[2] | |
Schmaltz or schmalz is rendered chicken, goose, or pork fat used for frying or as a spread on bread, especially in German and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It is also very common in Ukrainian cuisine (смалець).
Schmaltz rendered from a chicken or goose (but not pork) is popular in Jewish cuisine; it was used by northwestern and eastern European Jews who were forbidden by kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) to fry their meats in butter or lard, the common forms of cooking fat in Europe (Leviticus 7:23), and who could not obtain the kinds of cooking oils, such as olive oil and sesame oil, that they had used in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean (as in Spain and Italy). (The overfeeding of geese to produce more fat per bird produced Modern Europe's first foie gras as a side effect.[3])
The manufacture of schmaltz involves cutting the fatty tissues of a bird (chicken or goose) into small pieces, melting the fat, and collecting the drippings. Schmaltz may be prepared by a dry process where the pieces are cooked under low heat and stirred, gradually yielding their fat. A wet process also exists whereby the fat is melted by direct steam injection. The rendered schmaltz is then filtered and clarified.
Homemade Jewish-style schmaltz is made by cutting chicken or goose fat into small pieces and melting in a pan over low-to-moderate heat, generally with onions. After the majority of the fat has been extracted, the melted fat is strained through a cheesecloth into a storage container. The remaining dark brown, crispy bits of skin and onion are known in Yiddish as gribenes.
Similarly, pork fat can be enhanced with small pieces of pork skin to create lard or Griebenschmaltz. Other recipes contain small pieces of apple or onion.
-
Schmaltz for sale in German shops with Grieben, apple, onion and herbs
Uses
Since the rendering process removes water and proteins from the fat, schmaltz does not spoil easily. It can even be used to preserve cooked meats if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry location. This is similar to the French confit.
Schmaltz often has a strong aroma, and therefore is often used for hearty recipes such as stews or roasts. It is also used as a bread spread, where it is sometimes also salted, and generally this is done on whole-grain breads which have a strong flavor of their own.
In Germany, Schmalzbrot can be found on many menus, especially in grounded restaurants or brewery pubs. Schmalzbrot is often served as Griebenschmalz on rye bread accompanied with pickled gherkin.
Vegetarian schmaltz
A vegetarian (and consequently pareve) version of schmaltz was first marketed commercially in South Africa by Debra's under the slogan "Even the chicken can't tell the difference".[4] Other vegetarian brands include Nyafat. The producer claims the taste and texture is similar to real chicken schmaltz, but the saturated fat content is much lower - Debra's Schmaltz, for example, bears the South African Heart Foundation's sign of endorsement.
Etymology
Schmaltz comes from the Middle High German Smalz - grease, tallow, or fat,[5] which is cognate with the English word "melt".
The word שמאַלץ shmalts is the Yiddish word for chicken fat.[6] The term entered English usage through Yiddish-speaking Jews who used this word mostly to refer to kosher poultry fat.
Derived meanings
The expression "falling into the schmaltz pot" refers to the concept of having something good happen to you, often by sheer luck (e.g., being born into a good family). Someone who happens to have good luck is given the reputation of being a schmalz.
In American English, schmaltz (adj. schmaltzy) has also an informal meaning of "excessively sentimental or florid music or art" or "maudlin sentimentality". Its earliest usage in this sense dates to the mid-1930s.[7][8] In German, schmalzig is also used in the same sense.
Schmaltz and Schmalz are common last names amongst Ashkenazi Jewish people of German and Austrian descent.[9] Schmaltz was used as a metonymic occupational name for a chandler.[10]
See also
- Clarified butter, sometimes called butter schmaltz
- Shmaltz herring
References
- ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154.
- ^ Ginor, Michael A. (1999). Foie Gras: A Passion. John Wiley & Sons. p. 9. ISBN 0-471-29318-0.
- ^ http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Parve%20schmaltz astray.com
- ^ "American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., 2000". Retrieved 2007-01-25.
- ^ "The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 11th ed". Retrieved 2007-01-09.
- ^ H. Brook Webb, “The Slang of Jazz,” American Speech 12, No. 3 (October 1937): 179-184
- ^ J.A. Steig, “Profiles: Alligators’ Idol,” The New Yorker, April 17, 1937, 27-31.
- ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. 2003. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
- ^ "The Schmalz Surname at ancestry.com". Retrieved 2010-08-14.