lardo

noun

lar·​do ˈlär-(ˌ)dō 

plural lardos

: Italian spiced and cured fatback

Once a poor man's food, lardo is now considered a delicacy, with the most famous hailing from Colonnata in Tuscany, where it's been made since Roman times.

—Candace Nelson

The method for making lardo has changed little over time. It begins with back fat, usually with the skin still attached, which is cut into thick rectangular slabs. These pieces of fat are rubbed with a spiced sea salt mixture containing black pepper, fresh rosemary, and garlic. Each producer adds his own special blend of spices, which can include cloves, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, juniper, bay leaves, sage, oregano, thyme, and star anise.

—Jennifer McLagen

They feature … two different lardos and three salamis—regular, spicy, and smoky.

—Dave Eckert

Examples of lardo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The night my posse dropped by, the spread featured a Maine oyster sparked with pink peppercorns and dandelion pesto; a beignet with a pinch of crab, a stamp of lardo and a dab of romesco; and a Lilliputian deviled (quail) egg on an equally tiny nest of kadaifi. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 30 June 2023

After shelter-in-place orders hit, Cockscomb shifted to takeout and delivery with a more casual menu of pizzas and sandwiches as well as housemade sausages, whipped lardo and other charcuterie. —Janelle Bitker, SFChronicle.com, 20 Oct. 2020

Since his entire restaurant was created around his special breed of Slovenian heritage pigs, Jakob used a lot of lardo in his version. —Elizabeth Karmel, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2023

The raw bar will feature seasonal oysters, sea urchins, live scallops and mollusks cooked on the hearth and finished with lardo and cream. —Alyson Sheppard, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2022

The days of beef heart tartare, Iberico lardo and other rich, meaty dishes are no more at celebrity chef Chris Cosentino’s Cockscomb — for now, at least. —Janelle Bitker, SFChronicle.com, 20 Oct. 2020

Once Dos Hermanos is up and running, Cache Cache plans to add a bagel topped with uni, citrus and lardo, plus other dishes, including a lobster roll, that utilize the bakery’s pastries and bread. —Mrussell, oregonlive, 6 Apr. 2023

The Dolcezze d’Autunno pairs Gorgonzola with lardo, cutting through the figurative fat by homing in on the purest stuff. —Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2022

The menu featured pub classics with a twist—a superlative haggis Scotch egg, for instance, and an unctuous burger made with beef and lardo. —Rebecca Rose, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "layer of subcutaneous fat from a hog, culinary product made from such fat, rendered fat, lard," going back to Latin lāridum, lārdum "bacon" — more at lard entry 2

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above