We do not use larders anymore, use fridges and freezers instead.

I recently found out a larder used to be a cool room, one on the north side of an English house say, where pieces of meat were stored completely covered in . . . lard!

Just now, reading a volume in the Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series set in the Napoleonic wars the English frigate had defeated a French one and carried its Captain’s delicacies to the English ship


Quote:

stores; foie gras in jars, truffles in goose-grease, pieces of goose in goose-grease, a large variety of dried sausages, Bayonne hams, potted anchovies; and among the rest of the wine, twenty-one dozens of Margaux of ‘88, with the long cork, together with an almost equal quantity of Château Lafite. O’Brian, Patrick. The Mauritius Command (Aubrey-Maturin, Book 4) (Aubrey & Maturin series) (p. 48). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

So, same idea but using goose fat. The French frigate had been out to sea some months and still they were delighted to have captured this greasy haul.

Notice chickens are absent? They could NOT be preserved by lard! Chickens were carried live on ships as were pigs and goats.

You served in the tropics your wine or East Indian Pale Ale was served at bloodheat, cooling a tad by making a net and dragging that 20' below the surface of the sea.

I love reading about those sort of times and earlier and collecting some articles but I wouldn’t want to have to live back then! I like electricity and refrigeration!

The same with the jars of anchovies in oil: I replace the oil lost with fresh oil, reseal the jar and back into the fridge. As long as I take care to cover ALL bits of anchovy with oil they will be fine.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 29^th, 2023 at 6:00pm:

The same with the jars of anchovies in oil: I replace the oil lost with fresh oil, reseal the jar and back into the fridge. As long as I take care to cover ALL bits of anchovy with oil they will be fine.

I never change/replace the oil in those larger bottles
of anchovies.  It semi-solidifies in the fridge anyway,
and never seems to go off.

I always ask for extra anchovy at the pizza shop too.    ;)

I don’t change the oil, I top it up. It is the oil that is the preserving agent.

Doesn’t adding an anchovy or two, well chopped up, make a stew richer?

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 30^th, 2023 at 7:35am:

I don’t change the oil, I top it up. It is the oil that is the preserving agent. Doesn’t adding an anchovy or two, well chopped up, make a stew richer?

Northern Italian Anchovy-Garlic Dip (bagna càuda):

Ingredients;

    1 head garlic, peeled (about 14 medium cloves; 60g once peeled)

    1 cup (235ml) milk or water (see note)

    1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil

    100g high-quality oil-packed anchovy fillets (about 30 fillets)

Method;

•  Trim garlic cloves; if desired, halve lengthwise
and remove germ from centre. (Very developed
green germs can be overly pungent, though the
tests with younger garlic showed no noticeable
difference between batches made with and without
a more beige-coloured germ.)

•  Slice garlic. In a small saucepan, combine garlic
and milk or water, bring to a gentle simmer, and
cook until garlic is soft, about
10 minutes.

•  Drain garlic well. Wipe out saucepan, then return
garlic to saucepan and cover with olive oil. Cook
over very low heat until garlic is very soft and can
easily be smashed with a wooden spoon, about
10 minutes.

•  Add anchovies and cook, stirring and smashing,
until they have fully dissolved into the sauce.
Continue smashing the garlic and anchovies until a
thick purée forms. (If desired, you can very quickly
purée the bagna càuda with an immersion blender
to make an even smoother sauce.)