Pork rind

Pork rinds

Pork rind (known in the United Kingdom as pork scratchings (as a room-temperature snack) or crackling (served hot as part of a meal) and pork crackle in Australia and New Zealand) is the fried or roasted skin (rind) of a pig. Frying melts most of the fat from the pork rind. Uncooked pork rind may be used as a fishing bait, or cooked with beans or stewed vegetables or in soups. The pork rind may have subcutaneous fat attached; see Fatback.

Pork rind as a snack

Chunks of cured pork skins are deep-fried and puffed into light, irregular curls, and often seasoned with chili pepper or barbecue flavoring.

Microwavable pork rinds are sold which are microwaved in bags that resemble microwave popcorn (although not exhibiting the 'popping' sound) and can be eaten still warm. Pickled pork rinds, on the other hand, 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.

Health issues

There is some interest in pork rinds as an alternative snack food due to the Atkins diet, since pork rinds contain no carbohydrates (unless flavored). They are high in fat and sodium. The fat content of pork rinds is similar to that of potato chips, but the amount of sodium in a serving of pork rinds is nearly five times that of a serving of potato chips. A major distinction is that the fat in pork rinds primarily originates from the pork, while the fat in chips typically comes from manufactured vegetable oil, with correspondingly different essential fatty acid content.

For example, a 14 gram serving of Utz Regular Pork Rinds contains 5 g of fat and 230 mg of sodium, whereas the same serving of Utz Regular Potato Chips contains 4.5 g of fat and 47 mg of sodium. Pork rinds generally contain 8 g of protein in a 14 g serving, more than most foods except dried meats such as jerky. The fat content of jerky, however, is much lower. Also, the quality of the protein in pork rinds, called hydrolyzed gelatin protein, is quite low. Because they have a protein efficiency ratio lower than 40% as dictated by the FDA, their nutrition label usually states "0%" in % Daily Value or "Not a significant source of protein" as recommended by the FDA. Microwaveable pork rinds are lower in fat than the deep-fried variety, with only 2 g of fat per 14 g serving and no saturated fat, although the sodium level may be as high as 350 mg per serving. According to the Atkins diet, the low carbohydrate content of pork rinds makes them more nutritious than low-fat snack foods, such as high-carbohydrate, fat-free pretzels.

According to Men's Health:

A 1 ounce (28 g) serving contains zero carbohydrates, 17 grams (g) of protein, and 9 g fat. That's nine times the protein and less fat than you'll find in a serving of carb-packed potato chips. Even better, 43 percent of a pork rind's fat is unsaturated, and most of that is oleic acid — the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Another 13 percent of its fat content is stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that's considered harmless, because it doesn't raise cholesterol levels.

Origin

It is believed that pork rinds originated as solid scraps, a by-product left over during the process of rendering pork fat into lard.

Butchers started selling pork rinds in the 1930s, and more recently a product called pork crunch has been developed, in which much of the fat is scraped off, resulting in a lower-fat, softer alternative.

Variations

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 flavouring over other foods, such as salt fish and potatoes. It is mainly used as a condiment for fish and brewis. [1] [2]

In Quebec, they are often called "Oreilles de Christ" (Christ ears) or "Oreilles de crisse", and are eaten almost exclusively as part of traditional "cabane a sucre" meals.

United Kingdom

Pork Crackling is the British name for the salted crunchy pork rind produced when roasting a joint of pork. The heat of the oven causes the fatty pork skin to dry, bubble up and become crunchy. The layer of fat underneath is retained, and can be eaten with the skin or removed. 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.

A pork scratching from a bag purchased in the UK. Approximate dimensions: 55mm x 45mm. The soft fat is to the center, below the hard rind around the upper and right-hand edges.

Pork Scratchings is the British name for deep fried salted crunchy pork rind with fat produced separately from the meat. This is then eaten cold.

Pork Scratchings are typically heavy, hard and have a crispy layer of fat under the skin, some still retain the hair of the pig, and are flavored 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. Hair removal is not 100% effective which is why some retain a few hairs.

In the United Kingdom, pork scratchings (though not crackling — see above) are sold as a snack food in the same way pork rinds are in the USA. Unlike the physically large, but relatively light bags of 'deep fried skin without the fat' sold around the world, in the UK they are sold in relatively small bags which usually weigh between 42g and 90g. Traditionally they are eaten as an accompaniment to a pint of beer in a pub, just like crisps or peanuts. Scratchings can also be bought from butchers, supermarkets or newsagents.

They have been taken to both the North Pole and South Pole on various expeditions. This is due to their lack of weight and high amount of energy which is essential on these types of trips.

They have been popular in the UK and especially in the Black Country since the times when families would fatten up a "tunkey pig" (This is a pig fattened especially for Christmas), then slaughter it for meat and slice the skin with the fat into strips which they would then deep fry. Some believe that their popularity grew in the early 1800s when new uses were found for offcuts from pigs.

In the UK, the term 'pork rind' usually refers to the uncooked layer of skin on bacon or a joint of pork. Many people choose to cut the raw rind off their bacon before cooking it.

United States

File:PorkSkins saltadded.JPG

Pork rinds in bags, from the central United States

Cracklings is the American name for fried or roasted skins of pigs, geese or animals. 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 that has been 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."

Cajun cracklings (or "cracklins") from Cajun cuisine are fried pieces of pork fat with a small amount of attached skin, flavored after frying with a mixture of peppery Cajun spices.

Pork rinds normally refers to a snack food usually sold in plastic bags. They are made in a two-step process: pork skin is first rendered and dried, and then fried and puffed. These are also called by the Spanish name, chicharrón.

In 2003, sales of pork rind experienced a "meteoric rise," but they have dropped "by $31 million since 2004, when they reached $134 million, and now make up barely more than 1 percent of the salty snack market."

Europe

Western Europe

Homemade pork rind (called пръжки) in Bulgaria.

In France pork rinds are known as grattons, and are an essential ingredient to some slow cooked stews such as cassoulet. In Spain they are called cortezas de cerdo or cueritos when they don't have any solid fat attached, and chicharrones or torreznos when they do. Portugal has torresmos and couratos, the latter normally on sale at large popular gatherings such as football matches, usually on a sandwich, and accompanied by beer. In the Netherlands they are known as knabbelspek, which translates to 'nibbling bacon.' They are usually sold with no flavorings other than salt. They are usually eaten as a snack food and are sold at most butchers and supermarkets. In Denmark they are known as flæskesvær (literally "pork rind") and can be found in most grocery stores and kiosks.

Eastern Europe

In Hungary, pork rinds are called tepertő or töpörtyű and are fried in lard and eaten with bread and spring onions. Tepertő is a traditional food in Hungary, connected to peasant cookery (see also Szalonna (bacon)). In Serbia and Croatia, pork rinds are called čvarci, a popular home-made peasant food in the lowland Pannonian regions. In Bulgaria they are known as пръжки and a very popular winter food, usually deep-fried in fat. The skin may or may not be attached, but any hair is generally removed. Čvarci are most often made during the traditional slaughter of pigs in Croatia and Serbia. A special kind of čvarci in Serbia is called duvan čvarci (lit. "tobacco cracklings"): they are made by pressing čvarci during the preparation to have appearance of tobacco. In Romania, pork rinds are called jumări and are prepared in a similar fashion to the British scratchings, but the most common use for the pork rind is şorici. Traditionally, the pig is slaughtered on St. Ignatius' Day, December 20, by the peasants in front of their gates, in the fresh snow and immediately after it is covered in hay and set on fire. The fire burns the hairs and cooks the skin, which is cleaned after with a knife and cut from the animal without any additional fat, which is used for other recipes. It can be eaten both warm and cold, on its own or added into various dishes.

Latin America

Pork rinds are also popular in Latin America. In Spanish-speaking countries, and Spanish-speaking states they are known as chicharrones (the singular form, chicharrón, is also used as a mass noun). They are eaten alone as a snack, or as the meat portion in various stews and soups, which can be eaten with cachapas, or as a stuffing in arepas, pupusas, or in a taco or gordita with salsa verde.

They are usually made with different cuts of pork, but sometimes with other meats, like poultry, beef, ram, etc. In Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela chicharrones are also made with chicken, similar to Jewish gribenes, and, in Argentina with beef. In these cases they are consumed mostly as snacks.

In Brazil, pork rinds (called torresmo in Portuguese) are eaten as snack with beer, or as a side to some dishes, like feijoada.

The cueritos type is a Mexican snack. It is made with pork skins and marinated in vinegar instead of being deep fried. They are eaten as a snack.

In the Island of Utila, in Honduras, it is deep fried in a huge pot at the beach on Sundays, and is garnished with fried green plantains or fried breadfruit and coleslaw.

In Mexico and the USA, snack-food companies have commercialized a vegetarian version of the deep-fried type, with chile and lime flavorings.

Philippines

Fried pork skins go by various names in Filipino cuisine, including tsitsaron (from the Spanish word chicharrón). They may also be referred to by their English name "cracklings" if they contain a considerable portion of meat. Another form of crackling in the Philippines, tsitsarong manok, is made from seasoned chicken skin fried in its own rendered fat.

Crunchy pork rinds are one of the more popular choices for finger foods, locally called pulutan, during drinking sessions. They are served with a spicy vinegar and soy sauce dip mixed with crushed garlic and/or onions. A popular beer snack is tsitsarong bulaklak ("flower" crackling) which is fried chitterlings (pork intestines).

China

In China, pork rinds are considered to have certain medicinal properties; they are held to be good for the cardiovascular and cerebro-vascular systems in particular. They are also considered to make the skin more moisturized.

In China, pork rinds may be stewed with yams or soybeans, or fried and eaten spicy.

Use as fishing bait

Unfried pork rind is also processed into colorful and appealing shapes for use as fish bait. They can be used with jig heads as an addition to either marabou, bucktail, or rubber skirted jigs. A reference to using pork as bait for trout was made by Henry David Thoreau.

See also

• Ciccioli, an Italian food made from pressed pork scraps that is similar in many respects to pork rinds
• Gribenes, a Jewish snack made from chicken skin, as a byproduct of schmaltz (chicken fat) production

External links

• Puffed pork rinds (chicharrón) recipe
• "Pork Belly Cracklings". The New York Times. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.