Butter vs. Lard

Butter is used to enliven the taste of even the simplest foods.

Vegetable-based fats such as shortening and margarine came into popularity in the early 1900s with the introduction of mainstream lard substitutes. By the 1950s, animal-based fats had been scientifically shown to contribute to heart disease. Recent, high-profile bans on trans fats by California and New York City have caused researchers and the public to re-evaluate the use of animal-based fats in the diet, and as a result both lard and butter are coming back to the kitchen. Does this Spark an idea?

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Origins
- Harvesting lard from hog carcasses is a centuries-old practice that dates back to when mankind initially started keeping pigs as a food source some 10,000 years ago. The term larder, used to describe a food storage room, has its origins in England and France, where it was used to describe a room primarily dedicated to meat and lard storage. The presence of butter in the human diet goes back only 4,000 years, when it was used as both a food staple and a form of currency. The first commercial butter factory opened in New York in 1848, providing dairy farmers an outlet to sell their milk.
Health
- While low-fat dieting had its heyday, researchers have found that certain types of fatty acids are actually beneficial when consumed in moderation. The American Heart Association advises that unsaturated fats can actually help to lower blood cholesterol levels when replacing saturated fats. When it comes to monounsaturated fats, butter contains only 23 percent while lard measures in at 45 percent. Unhealthy saturated fat content is 60 percent for butter and 40 percent for lard.
Procurement and Storage
- Most commercially produced lard undergoes a process known as hydrogenation, which chemically alters lard so that it contains trans fats. While the hydrogenation process increases shelf-stability in lard for easier storing the resulting unhealthy trans fats can raise blood cholesterol. Pure, non-hydrogenated lard can be produced in a basic home kitchen by slow simmering the back fat from hogs and then straining the resulting liquid. Butter is a much more accessible fat, available at grocery stores and convenience stored nationwide in both salted and non-salted formulations. A study by the California Dairy Research Foundation concluded that butter can be stored in quarters in the refrigerator for no more than six months before flavor is affected, and full sticks could retain flavor for up to 12 months when frozen at 20 degrees below zero.
Use
- Lard is the preferred fat for frying because it has a neutral taste, allowing meat-free foods to be fried crisp without imparting a meaty flavor to the finished dish. Lard also has a high smoking point, allowing it to be heated to 400 degrees. Butter has a creamy flavor with almost universal appeal that is used to add rich taste to baked goods and other dishes. Butter has a low burning point, however, and can only be heated to 250 degrees before burning.