Deep Fryimg (was Re: SC - organ meats)

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 24 Apr 00,, that LrdRas at aol.com wrote:

> But lard was used in abundance for frying until vegetable oils became
> common in the middle of the 20th century. The lack of vegetable oils in
> large amounts before that time would not have been a factor in determining
> whether deep frying was common or not.

There's a recipe in de Nola for "pomelos" (a relative of grapefruit) which 
are actually sweet cheese fritters.  It says, in part:
"and when everything is incorporated and kneaded take a very clean 
casserole, and cast into it a good quantity of sweet pork fat or fine 
sweet oil, and when the pork grease or oil boils, make some balls from 
said dough, like toy balls or round oranges, and cast them into the 
casserole in such a manner that the ball goes floating in the casserole"
(In this context, "sweet oil" would be good-quality olive oil, I think.)

Most of the period fried-food recipes I've seen call for pan-frying.  
Perhaps the significant factor is not the availability of oil, but ease of 
technique?


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net