what is lardons

Lardons are small strips or cubes of fatty bacon or pork fat, usually subcutaneous fat, used in a wide variety of cuisines to flavor savory food and salads. They are commonly used in French cooking and are served hot in salads and salad dressings, as well as on some tartes flambées, stews such as beef bourguignon, quiches such as Quiche Lorraine, in omelettes, with potatoes, and for other dishes such as coq au vin. Lardons are made from pork that has been cured with salt and are not normally smoked. They are more substantial than minced bacon bits and can only be made from slab bacon. Lardons can be made by slicing slab bacon into 1/4-inch thick slices, then turning these slices 90 degrees and cutting into 1/4 inch pieces, so each piece contains layers of fat and lean meat. They are then cooked slowly over medium heat until most of the fat has rendered out. Lardons can be substituted with diced regular pancetta or diced bacon