Pork scratchings
From Free net encyclopedia
Pork scratchings or pork cracklings are a popular snack food in some parts of the United Kingdom.
They are not the same as pork rinds even though both are snack foods made from pig skin. Pork Scratchings are heavier, harder and have a crispy layer of fat under the skin, flavoured with salt.
Origin
The consensus of opinion is that they originated in the Black Country area of the West Midlands, in England. It would seem that Pork Scratchings were very much a food of the working classes which have their origin in the 1800's when it was produced as part of the tradition of families keeping their own pig at home and feeding it up for slaughter.
In modern times the fine layer of hair is removed from the skin by burning; however this is not completely effective and some pieces still have the hair attached. Connoisseurs consider these to be the superior kind.
Butchers started selling pork scratchings in the 1930s, and more recently a product called pork crunch has been developed, in which much of the fat is scraped off, resulting in a lower-fat, softer alternative. Most connoisseurs of pork scratchings regard this as an inferior product, however.
Pork Crackling is sometimes confused (perhaps deliberately) with pork scratchings, but it is a distinct product - crackling is produced when roasting a joint of pork, as the heat of the oven causes the fatty pork skin to dry up and become crunchy. Crackling is generally not sold as a bar snack as pork scratchings are, but eaten as part of a traditional Sunday roast by some families.