Bread and Dripping
Photo © Rob Jones
To begin with:
Yes, I know that it’s better to have a Mediterranean diet.
Yes, I also know that man - or woman - cannot live by fat alone.
Animal fats, they say, undoubtedly have implications for blood pressure and heart attacks.
Only … sometimes, just occasionally, after a few stressful weeks with more to come, it really does hit the spot.
Growing up, there was always a big brown earthenware pot that sat on top of the AGA cooker. Into this was poured any fat that came out of meat as it was being cooked. Sundays were a good day for collecting it, especially from beef or lamb joints being cooked for Sunday roasts.
Apart from providing a ready supply of fat for cooking something else, it was also a source of great pleasure. Remember these were the days before Olive Oil was invented - in our house anyway, where it was often bought at the chemist and used sparingly. And then butter was sometimes just a little too rich for a fry-up but not unknown.
The greatest pleasure, and I suggest this came from my parents’ generation who went through the thirties and Second World War and had to make ends meet during rationing, was spreading dripping across a hunk of bread, sprinkled with a little salt. One slice was always enough.
With the latest eating trends, one might assume that ‘Bread and Dripping’ had been consigned to the history books - but no.
As AMM knows, I’m happy to talk about my air-fryer till come the cows come home vaccuum packed. One of the best reasons for using it, is that it allows a lot of fat to come out of the meat, which gathers at the base of the drawer. Healthier all round. But .. and here’s the dilemma, what to do with the dripping after that? It would be a crime to throw it away.
So I don’t. It goes into my own mini-version of the crock pot.
Currently I’m enjoying it spread across a piece of focaccia and toasted in the air-fryer. Pure pleasure.
And heartening to know that some animal fats - eaten in moderation - are not as bad as previously thought, and might actually be good for you. Dripping - from grass fed animals - may have some beneficial compounds, and contains a variety of vitamins. You tend to use less for the same effect in recipes, and it’s tastier.
No harm in a little pleasure - occasionally!
R.
