Lard-bound
Wrapped in cloth and sealed with lard, the traditional coat of English clothbound cheddar.
Also: larded, lard and cloth
Lard-bound describes a cheese whose surface has been rubbed with lard, pork fat, before or after being wrapped in muslin. The fat seals the cloth to the rind, keeps out mites and flies, and slows drying, while still letting the cheese breathe. It is the old method for farmhouse cheddar in Somerset and for other English territorial cheeses, and some makers still use it, sometimes with butter instead of lard. The cheese inside does not taste of lard, and the cloth and fat are removed before eating. Lard-bound and clothbound are often used together. Vegetarian customers should note that the coating is animal fat, even if the rennet is not.