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What is Lardo?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Lardo is a unique cured pork product produced in Italy. It is made from the thick layer of fat directly below the skin of a pig; the fat is carefully removed and cured in salt and spices so that it can be stored for extended periods of time. At one point, lardo was treated as the poor man's food in Italy, and it was widely disdained. That opinion has since changed, and lardo is now considered a delicacy by many Italians.

This cut of meat is one among a family of cured meats called salumi in Italian. Salumi should not be confused with salami, a specific type of sausage. Most salumi is made from pork, although other meats are used as well, and it illustrates a living tradition of cured meats produced with techniques which are centuries old. Some types of salumi are protected with the assistance of government decrees to ensure that they are made in the traditional way.

Lardo di Colonnata from Tuscany in central Italy is probably one of the most famous types of lardo.
Lardo di Colonnata from Tuscany in central Italy is probably one of the most famous types of lardo.

Fat is notoriously difficult to cure, since it can become rancid when handled poorly. The first stage in the curing of lardo is cutting a number of small holes into the fat and rubbing and salt and spice blend into the holes. The meat is kept at a stable temperature while it cures, and it may also be smoked to make lardone. Once the meat is cured, it can be packaged for sale; most people keep their lardo under refrigeration to minimize the risk of spoilage.

Classically, lardo is offered as part of an antipasto platter. In some parts of Italy, thin shavings of lardo are served plain as an appetizer, while in other regions lardo may be spread on bread or mixed into salads. It can also be used in main courses; it may be tossed with pasta, for example, or used in stuffings. Some people use lardo as a replacement for meats like pancetta and bacon, leading some cooks to refer to lardo as “Italian bacon.”

Although one might imagine that cured fat would be greasy and heavy, this is not the case with lardo. This salumi has a very mild, creamy flavor, and while it is rich, it is not greasy. The delicate flavor can be easily altered with additions to the spicing, and some regions of Italy have become rightly famous for their lardo. Lardo di Colonnata from Tuscany is probably one of the most famous types of lardo.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

MissMuffet

@anon25636 - Asking of there's an alternative to lardo is akin to culinary blasphemy! I suppose if a recipe calls for it to be untreated then backfat may do. But seriously, it is a speciality product that can't be equalled.

Lots of places sell it online these days, so you should be able to buy lardo quite easily. If you live near an Italian neighborhood then it will be even easier.

Acracadabra

I once spent a very frustrating twenty minutes at a deli counter in a supermarket asking if they sold salumi! The puzzled young guy kept looking at me hopefully and asking 'salami?', 'salame?'In the end I left empty handed!

anon25636

What is the alternative to using lardo, other than fatback? Can I use bacon?

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    • Lardo di Colonnata from Tuscany in central Italy is probably one of the most famous types of lardo.
      By: willypd
      Lardo di Colonnata from Tuscany in central Italy is probably one of the most famous types of lardo.