Lardon

Alardon, also spelledlardoon, is a small strip or cube of fattybacon, orporkfat (usuallysubcutaneous fat), used in a wide variety of cuisines toflavorsavory food and salads. InFrench cuisine, lardons are also used for larding, by threading them with a needle into meats that are to be braised or roasted. Lardons are not normally smoked, and they are made from pork that has been cured with salt.
InFrench cuisine, lardons are served hot in salads and salad dressings, as well as on sometartes flambées, stews such asbeef bourguignon,quichessuch asQuiche Lorraine, inomelettes, with potatoes, and for other dishes such ascoq au vin.
TheOxford English Dictionarydefines "lardon" as "one of the pieces of bacon or pork which are inserted in meat in the process of larding", giving primacy to that process.According to theMiddle English Dictionary, the earliest occurrence of the word is in 1381, in the workPegge Cook; it advises to insert lardons incranesandherons.
Lardons may be prepared from differentcuts of pork, includingpork bellyandfatback, or from cured cuts such asbaconorsalt pork. According to food writer Regina Schrambling, when the lardon is salt-cured but not smoked in the style of American bacon, "the flavor comes through cleanly, more like ham but richer because the meat is from the belly of the pig, not the leg".The meat (fat) is usually cut into small strips or cubes about one centimeter (3⁄8inch) wide, thenblanchedorfried.
Some chefs recommend usingpancettaas a substitute;hamis also suggested.
It is common for the lardons to be used for two distinct purposes in the same dish. The fat rendered from the cubed pork is good forsautéingvegetables or meat during the early stages of a recipe, and the crisp browned pork cubes can be added as a garnish or ingredient just before serving: "the crispy bits are used to add a smoky, salty flavor and a pleasant crunch to all kinds of dishes". The rich flavor pairs well with cheeses and sturdy leaf vegetables like spinach and frisée, for which the hot rendered fat can be used as part of thesalad dressing.
Lardons are frequently used inFrench cuisineto flavor salads,stews(such asbeef bourguignonandcoq au vin),quiches(quiche Lorraine), potatoes,omelettesand other dishes.A particular Parisian use of lardons is in thesalade aux lardons, a wilted salad (often made withfrisée (endive)lettuce) in which the lettuce leaves are wilted slightly by the addition of still-hot lardons and hotvinaigrette.A nineteenth-century recipe for apie à la chassecalls for beef to be larded with lardons made of ham and bacon.A traditional dish from theAlsaceregion is thetarte flambée, a thin pizza-like bread covered withcrème fraîche,onion, and lardons.A regional specialty from theSavoieistartiflette, which is made withpotatoes,reblochon cheese,cream, and lardons.
A traditional use for lardons is in a technique called "larding", in which long strips of chilled pork fat are threaded (with the use of a needle) into meats that are to be braised or roasted, such asbeeffilets or veal (especially lean cuts),poultry,and leanfishsuch astuna.These lardons are cut in strips about 3 mm thick and 3 mm wide, and the fat is chilled before cutting and threading. The technique is explained at length in the classic book ofFrench cuisineLa bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange, which details two techniques: surface larding, or "studding", in which the lardons are threaded onto the surface, and interior larding, in which the lardons are left in a channel (made with a larger-sized needle than is used for studding) inside the meat.
Madame St. Ange recommends larding forbraised calf's sweetbreads(as does theFrench Laundrycookbook) and for a specific style of cookinghare.American food writerJames Petersonspecifically recommends using fatback for larding; salt pork, he says, "has a funny taste and won't work".Julia Childrecommends using lard or porkbellies (pancetta); she too thinks that neither salt pork nor bacon work, and suggestsblanchingthese first, to get rid of the overwhelming cured or smoked flavors.
The origin of larding is in the Middle Ages, when hunting game was a popular activity amongst the upper classes and the meat acquired from it was often too lean and tough because of the animal's natural physical activity; larding provided the equivalent of today'smarbling.
The needle used is a larding needle (also "barding needle" orlardoir).There are two basic kinds of larding needle, hollow and U-shaped. 
Hollow larding needles are about 5 mm in diameter with some sort of teeth or hook to keep the lard strip attached; they are passed completely through the meat. 
U-shaped larding needles, often called by the French namelardoir, are long needles with a "U" cross-section.
Four larding needles, accompanied by two crossedturning spits, are found in the coat of arms of theConfrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, a French gastronomic society.
In many cuisines around the world, pork fat is used as a flavoring, and lardons are found in various other cultures. InPuerto Rico, they are calledtocinoand are added to dishes such asarroz con gandules.
InDutch cuisinelardons are used in many traditional dishes such asstamppot, and the split pea soupsnert.