Weekend Cooking: Cottolene

Cottolene was a brand of shortening sold from 1868 until sometime in the mid-20th century. It was made from the waste products of two industries: beef tallow and cottonseed oil, and was the first commercially successful alternative to lard

It had an aggressive advertising campaign back in the day, billing it as a superior product to lard or butter because of "the purity of its ingredients and the wholesomeness of the food prepared with it." The producer commissioned cookbooks, including "Fifty-Two Sunday Dinners", by Elizabeth O. Hiller, published in 1913, which the quote came from. Its success probably helped drive lard away from the kitchen.

[Ironically, according to the Wikipedia, “However, despite its reputation, lard has less saturated fat, more unsaturated fat and less cholesterol than an equal amount of butter by weight.” (Ockerman, Herbert W. (1991). Source book for food scientists (Second Edition). Westport, CN: AVI Publishing Company).]

Further Reading:

Hearth to Hearth: Cottolene and the Mysterious Disappearance of Lard

Vintage Cottolene Trade Cards: Front of trade card depicts African-American child with her arms full of cotton. Back of card includes directions for using Cottolene as a cooking fat and a recipe for New England Doughnuts.

Eating Cotton: Cottonseed, Crisco, and Consumer Ignorance