Pork rind
From Conservapedia
Pork rind is the cooked skin of a pig, usually with added salt to make it crunchy. It may be offered as part of a cooked meal (crackling) and served warm or may be pre-cooked as a separate item and packaged as a snack to be eaten cold. It is generally accepted that the snack variety originated in the Black Country, an industrial area of the English West Midlands.
Pork rind snacks
Historically pork rinds have been prepared from pieces of pig skin (usually belly which has a large amount of fat) and may also have attached hair or flesh. Deep frying in hot fat causes the water to be expelled and the rinds become puffed and crispy. Modern food technology has introduced microwavable varieties which may be cooked at home and eaten warm. Their popularity was revived recently through the Atkins Diet as a low-carb snack.
In the United Kingdom pork rind snacks are known as pork scratchings and are a traditional pub snack. However, owing to the attached layer of skin they may be very hard and are regarded as unsuitable for children, people with weak teeth such as the elderly, or denture wearers. In the Netherlands pork scratchings are known as knabbelspek but are not widely available as pork skin is considered only fit for dogs. Other names for them are chicharr'ones, grattons, or scrunchions
An alternative snack version with less skin is also available. These tend to be much lighter than traditional scratchings and may be suitable for children. In the Netherlands these are known as knabbelbacon (bacon nibbles).
Pork rinds are generally seen as a low-status crude food for working class people which owing to their high salt and fat content are regarded as unhealthy.
Former President George H.W. Bush stated that pork rinds were his favorite snack [1][2] and they replaced Ronald Reagan's jelly beans on Air Force One.
