Slate.com reports that the humble and eco-friendly predecessor to Crisco is coming back into its own:
Now you could even argue that lard is good for you. As Jennifer McLagan points out in her celebrated book Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes, lard's fat is also mostly monounsaturated, which is healthier than saturated fat. And even the saturated fat in lard has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol. Not to mention that lard has a higher smoking point than other fats, allowing foods like chicken to absorb less grease when fried in it. And, of course, fat in general has its upsides. The body converts it to fuel, and it helps absorb nutrients, particularly calcium and vitamins.
What matters more, though, is that lard has become the right ingredient at the right time. It fits perfectly into the Michael Pollan crusade to promote foods that have been processed as minimally as possible: Your great-grandmother surely cooked with it, so you should, too.
Tell you what - if you've never had a burrito wrapped in a tortilla made with so much lard you could see through it, you're missin' out!
Yuck! Brings back memories of my grandmother's "fat jar" on her stove! Sorry, it's olive oil for me, not Crisco! I haven't bought Crisco for more than 10 years!!
BTW, love your title!