Lard / Tallow

Lard, which is the fat from swine, was the major shortening in use in the early 1900s. Tallow, like lard, is an animal fat but it is derived from beef cattle or sheep. Because both are from animal sources, they are primarily saturated fat. They cannot be used for their shortening power in food preparation without first being rendered (melted down); for commercial use, the rendered fat is then deodorized.

Antioxidants are often added to lard to increase shelf life. Lard produces poor textures in cakes and icings, so it is used primarily in pastry pie crusts, commercial frying, and regional cooking.

Interesterification Process

Lard was largely replaced by the shortenings that appeared on the market in the 1950s, but lard usage increased again in the 1960s when the process of interesterification was introduced. Certain fats, such as cocoa butter substitutes and lard, have unacceptable textures until they are modified by interesterification. Lard is naturally too grainy and soft at room temperatures, but becomes extremely hard when refrigerated. Interesterification creates a smoother-textured lard with a slightly higher melting point, which allows the lard to retain its shape at room temeprature. Another food application dependent on interesterification is emulsifiers, which are incorporated into numerous processed foods to improve the functionality of a fat.