SC - Art/Sci results

[Decker, Terry D.]

Franz wrote:

>The advantage of the sheep fat is that it doesn't go rancid.  The smell you
>allude to is the fat going/gone bad. A properly made "tallow" will last for
>years, and is cheaper than a straight wax candle of either variety.


I remember from my childhood huge rounds of tallow (we called them
"shields") on the shelves of my mother´s pantry. It kept easily for a year
or more, and was our main cooking fat. This was rendered fat from the
insides of sheep or beef, and was very hard - I remember my mother breaking
a knife when trying to cut through one.

Drippings were usually collected and saved, and used as cooking fat.
Lamb/mutton drippings were not used for spreading on bread unless mixed with
a softer type of fat, like cod liver oil, but the drippings from horsemeat
are much softer; they were mostly used in bread and cakes, or for
deep-frying doughnuts and such things.

When tallow was rendered, it was sieved and the cracklings put into a
special bowl. Some tallow was poured on top and left to harden, and this was
then melted as needed and eaten with boiled haddock or cod. You can still
buy this product in shops here.


Nanna

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