[Herbalist] period product-creams fats oils

[Gaylin Walli]

>I think that Barrows grease, hog's fat and boars grease are all
>period names for lard

True enough, though the medieval mixer of said ingredients would have
distinguished between them. Barrow's grease technically comes from a
pig that has been castrated before sexual maturity. Hog's fat from
one that may or may not have been castrated though I've seen the term
used more out of period than in period. And boars grease from an
uncastrated pig that may have been wild, rather than domesticated.
Each one, from what we can tell, would have been perceived as having
a different effect on the end product being created. That is, each
type of fat had certain properties inherent to it that made it more
or less suitable for certain preparations in the minds of the
caregivers we research.

Iasmin