Two months ago, walking past the butcher's shop, I spotted a large and beautiful piece of pork fat in the display. Memories and cravings instantly hit me - at home, salted pork fat was the most important preserve in the cellar, with dozens of jars consumed each year. I quickly made it, just like my mother used to, and I can honestly say - basic and simple flavors should be preserved and highlighted, even as we explore newer, modern tastes.
At home, whether we headed to the fields, tended to the cattle, or gathered grapes, the most accessible lunch was this pork fat cut into small pieces, served with garlic and homemade bread. Any household chore (bringing wood, wheat, repairs, etc.) was accomplished with a shot of brandy and a pork fat snack. And if we returned home without my mom having a chance to cook something more substantial, pork fat with bread, eggs, potatoes, or polenta with cracklings were always on the menu.
My grandmother from Ukraine solved any problem with a piece of Salo, the supreme ingredient in their kitchen. Cracklings were used to make soup, dumplings, potatoes, buckwheat...
