Canadian meat/fat "candy"
In the 1970's in Canada (Ontario), I ate this food, it was referred to as "candy". However, it was some sort of fatback/bacon type of stuff (though I don't remember any meat, it was just soft fat inside the crispy outer shell; also I don't remember it as being particularly smokey), that was cut up into bite-sized cubed, and fried until crispy. Is this some type of traditional Canadian dish? What exactly was it made of?
Best Answer
From what you describe it sounds like ?varci. In the U.S., especially in the south we call them cracklings (or cracklin's). Basically it is what is left from cubing pork fat and rendering the lard out. Makes a quite tasty snack and from what I read was/is a popular delicatessen snack in some areas of Canada. We often make this with fat from a ham or salt fatback.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cvarci for more information.
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Answer 2
Sounds like pemmican (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican), originally an aboriginal recipe combining pulverized meat, berries, and rendered fat.
Note that there are many First Nations in southern Ontario.
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