Salo (food)

History

Several historical factors contributed to the regional popularity of pork, and pork fat in particular: unlike cattle, which could be used as workforce, and whose meat would mostly be sold by villagers to urban inhabitants along with mutton, pigs were seen as a resource for own consumption. In Ukraine, this situation could be complemented by the fact that Islamic law forbids the consumption of pork, so pigs would be the only animal which couldn't be taken by Muslim raiders. In the 18th and 19th centuries even urban inhabitants of Ukraine would keep pigs, and their pastures would be sometimes be located in central parts of big cities, including Kyiv.

Production

Production of salo varies between different countries and nations. For instance, among Ukrainians a pig would not be skinned after slaughtering, but instead its skin would be scorched on a fire, the fat would be cut into slabs, and blood removed from the animal would be used to make blood sausage. This differed from the traditional way of producing salo among Poles.

Preservation

For preservation, salo is salted and sometimes also smoked and aged in a dark and cold place, where it will last for a year or more. The slabs of fat are first cut into manageable pieces, typically 15×20 cm. Then layers of fat slabs (skin side down) topped with one-centimetre layers of salt go into a wooden box or barrel for curing. For added flavouring and better preservation, the slabs of salo may be covered with a thick layer of paprika (usually in the more Western lands; in Russian, salo with paprika is called "Hungarian"), minced garlic, or sometimes black pepper. In Ukrainian tradition slabs of salo would be salted and preserved in bags, barrels, etc.. In Western Ukraine salo would traditionally be smoked. Fat from intestines would be used to produce lard and a type of cracklings known as shkvarky.

Culinary

Salo is consumed both cured and cooked. Salo is often chopped into small pieces and fried to render fat for cooking, while the remaining shkvarky (a type or cracklings) are used as condiments for fried potatoes or varenyky or spread on bread as a snack.

Usage

Salted salo can be stored for a long time. It can be consumed without any preparation. For these reasons, it is often used as a food supply by shepherds, hunters, backpackers, and other travellers, and was issued to German and Hungarian soldiers as part of their rations during World War II.

When salo has been aged too long or exposed to light, the fat may oxidize on the surface and become rancid, yellow, and bitter-tasting. Though no longer fit for culinary use, the spoiled fat can be used as a water-repellent treatment for leather boots or bait for mouse traps, or it can be used to prepare homemade soap.

Belarusian, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians often eat it with rye bread and garlic or onion.

In popular culture

There are many jokes which associate salo and Ukrainians. A joke about Ukrainians gave rise to a condiment, chocolate salo.

There is a Museum of Salo in Lviv, Ukraine.

On August 27, the Salo Day is informally celebrated in Ukraine.

Notes

References

References

1. Shearlaw, Maeve. (2015-03-06). "A foodie's guide to salo: the Ukrainian delicacy made of cured pork fat". The Guardian.
2. (24 August 2018). "Що таке «українська кухня»? Історія, страви, смаки".
3. Clyde, McGrady. (2022-03-16). "A Ukrainian grocer in South Carolina offers immigrants a taste of solace amid growing uncertainty". [[The Washington Post]].
4. Mansur Mirovalev, [https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/2/2/salo-ukraines-greasy-national-symbol Salo: Ukraine’s greasy national symbol], ''[[Al Jazeera]]'', February 2, 2020
5. Chapple, Amos. (2019-05-08). "Ukraine's Pig-Fat Chocolate". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
6. Mirovalev, Mansur. "Salo: Ukraine's greasy national symbol".
7. Кристина Кащавцева, [https://www.unian.ua/health/worldnews/yaki-hvorobi-likuye-salo-divovizhni-sposterezhennya-ostanni-novini-11524579.html З часничком і чорним хлібом: для чого корисно їсти сало], August 27, 2021