Shortening is any
fat that is a solid at
room temperature
Colloquially, "room temperature" is a range of air temperatures that most people prefer for indoor settings. It feels comfortable to a person when they are wearing typical indoor clothing. Human comfort can extend beyond this range depending on ...
and used to make
crumbly pastry and other food products. Although
butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used in making pastry, the term ''shortening'' seldom refers to butter.
The idea of shortening dates back to at least the 18th century, well before the invention of modern, shelf-stable vegetable shortening.
In the earlier centuries,
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the o ...
was the primary ingredient used to shorten dough.
The reason it is called shortening is that it makes the resulting food crumbly, or to behave as if it has short
fibers. Solid fat prevents cross-linkage between
gluten molecules. This cross-linking would give dough elasticity, so it could be stretched into longer pieces.
In pastries such as cake, which should not be elastic, shortening is used to produce the desired
texture.
History and market
Originally shortening was synonymous with
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the o ...
, but with the invention of
margarine
Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...
from beef tallow by French
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe ...
Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès
Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès (; 24 October 1817 – 31 May 1880) was a French chemist and inventor who is famous for his invention of margarine.
Early life
Hippolyte Mège was born on 2