Pork rind
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Pork rinds are a snack food made from chunks (called 'pellets') of cured pork skin (sometimes including portions of meat and/or hair as well), deep-fried and puffed into light, irregular curls, and often seasoned with chilli pepper or barbecue flavoring. A similar food is cracklings, made from thicker, and therefore harder and crunchier, pieces of fried pigskin.
In the Southern United States, pork rinds carry no social stigma, whereas elsewhere they are often poorly regarded due to their origins, high fat content (even for snack foods), and perceived crudity as a snack.
Pork rinds are also popular in Latin America, where they are known as chicharrones (the singular form, chicharrón, is also used as a mass noun). They are eaten alone as a snack, with cachapas, as a stuffing in arepas or pupusas, or as the meat portion of various stews and soups. In France they are known as grattons and they are also consumed in Spain. In Portugal, they are normally on sale from stands near large popular gatherings, such as football stadiums, and are accompanied with a well chilled beer. In Britain, they are known as hog lumps or pork scratchings, and are often eaten as an accompaniment to drinks in a pub. They have been popular in the Black Country since the days when every family used to fatten up a "tunkey pig," slaughter it for meat, and slice the skin with the fat into strips which they would then deep fry.
Microwavable pork rinds are sold which pop like popcorn and can be eaten still warm.
Pickled pork rinds, on the other hand, are best enjoyed refrigerated and cold. Unlike the crisp and fluffy texture of fried pork rinds, pickled pork rinds are very rich and buttery, much like foie gras.
There is current interest in pork rinds as a healthy snack food due to the Atkins diet, since pork rinds contain no carbohydrates (unless flavored). They are, however, high in fat and sodium, and generally may be considered more delicious than healthy to those who enjoy them. In fact, the fat content of pork rinds is similar to that of potato chips, and the amount of sodium in a serving of pork rinds is nearly 5 times of that within a serving of potato chips. For example, a 14 gram serving of Utz Regular Pork Rinds contains 5 grams of fat and 230 milligrams of sodium whereas the same serving of Utz Regular Potato Chips contains 4.5 grams of fat and 47 milligrams of sodium. Pork rinds generally contain 8 grams of protein in a 14 gram serving, more than any food except dried meats such as jerky. The fat content of jerky, however, is much lower, making it a healthier choice. Microwaveable pork rinds have a healthier nutritional profile than the deep-fried variety, with only 2 grams of fat per 14 gram serving and no saturated fat, although the sodium level may be as high as 350 milligrams per serving. The high protein content of pork rinds makes them more nutritious than some low-fat snack foods, such as fat-free pretzels.
Unfried pork rind is also processed into colorful and appealing shapes for use as fish bait.
When he was in the White House, U.S. President George H. W. Bush said that pork rinds were his favorite snack.
Chicharrones
Chicharrones is a popular dish from Latin America (the singular form, chicharrón, is also used as a mass noun). They are usually made with different cuts of pork, but sometimes with other meats, like poultry, beef, ram, etc. In Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela chicharrones are also made with chicken and, in Argentina with beef. In this cases they are consumed mostly as snacks.
The pork rind type is the skin of the pork after it has been seasoned and deep fried. They can be eaten alone, as a snack, or as an ingredient in further cooking. This form of preparation is known to all Latin American countries and Spain.
The meat type is deep-fried pork cuts used later as the meat portion in various stews and soups, which can be eaten with cachapas, or as a stuffing in arepas, pupusas, or in a taco or gordita with salsa verde.
The cueritos type is a Mexican snack. It is made with pork skins and marinated in vinegar instead of deep fried. They are eaten as a snack.
In México and the USA, snack-food companies have commercialized a vegetarian version of the deep-fried type, with chile and lime flavorings.
Black country pork scratchings
Pork rinds are a Black Country delicacy. They are also known as pork scratchings or crackling, and hark back to the days when every west midlands family used to keep pigs in their garden. The Black Country is the original industrialised heartland of the UK, deriving its name from the smoke and soot from the heavy industries such as chain and anchor making, iron works, and heavy mining. The Black Country (pronounced blacountraye by locals) has its own dialect. Among the Black Country folks, it's widely believed that the best rinds are made by local butchers, although one can also obtain the commercial varieties. Most of the pork scatching factories are based in Wolverhampton, Walsall and Tipton. Whereas another pork product known as "pork crunch" or "soft scratchings" is available, purists prefer "black country scratchings," which in their view is the "real thing."