Food: Lardo; the real thing

I don't do a lot of food picture or recipe posting, others do this well and our eating is quite simple really. But just occasionally some thing very special comes along, this time as part of a beautiful food gift from a friend in Italy to a beleaguered lipophile living in sucrose encrusted Glasgow... Many thanks!

This is Lardo. It's a bit like bacon, but not bacon as we know it... Possession is a criminal offence in both the USA and Finland but this appears to have been decriminalised in Sweden, which suggests that possession of small quantities, without intent to supply.....




The pig skin is there, as is a sliver of salted panniculus muscle. The two are separated by backfat. Lots of backfat. The meat end is encrusted in cracked black pepper and herbs.



I cut off about half a centimetre. Dry fried it to get the opaque fat transparent and that was breakfast.



Anyone in Italy will know how good it is. Now I do too.

Many many thanks (you know who!)

Peter