WJEC Level 3 Certificate in Food Science and Nutrition

Section 6: Preparation and cooking techniques (LO6) 216 Larding Larding is a traditional technique that was commonly used in the past for improving the texture and moistness of joints of meat, which tended to be leaner and drier than they are today. It is not a technique that is commonly used today, partly because many people are concerned about reducing their saturated fat intake. The word comes from ‘lard’, which is the rendered fat of a male pig. Rendering means to heat an animal carcase, which causes the fat it contains to melt and run out for collection. To moisten the meat joints, strips (lardons) of animal fat are sewn into the lean muscle of the meat using a special larding needle, or pushed into the flesh by making small cuts in it. Larding needles Examples of applications in food preparation ⦁ Larding a joint of meat NB: unlike the board used in the image above, best food safety practice requires that the chopping boards used for raw meat should be red , to avoid cross-contamination. Chapter 14: Advanced techniques in commodity preparation