How healthy is it to eat leather?

Among the snacks available in Mexico are those that contain skin, such as prepared chicharrones, but do you know what they are made of?

The skins of the snacks are pork.

When someone inexperienced with street food says they want prepared chicharrón, they might think of pork chicharrón. The reality is that it's a flour-based snack that serves as a dish for all the other ingredients, but that doesn't mean this dish doesn't include some pork.

The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy explains that The famous cueritos are prepared with pig skin, which is cooked and marinated in vinegar and herbs.

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You might be wondering why they don't look like the "cuerito" (leather) you order in your carnitas tacos. The reason is that they're prepared differently. While carnitas are fried in pork fat, the ones added to snacks are cooked.

Although the seasonings that give it its final flavor can vary, in most cases, cueritos undergo a process known as pickling. Pickles are foods that are soaked and preserved in a salt or vinegar solution and fermented either on their own or through the use of a bacteria called Lactobacillus plantarum. This process lowers the food's pH and increases its acidity, allowing it to be preserved for a long period.

Pros and cons of pickled leather

Now that you know what those delicious little pieces of leather that accompany your snacks are made of, it's worth knowing the benefits, as well as the disadvantages, of consuming them.

L The positive part of this preparation is that, due to its vinegar content, It helps to have better digestion, in addition to preventing gas and abdominal bloating.

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On the other hand, its gelatinous consistency causes a feeling of satiety in a short time, so eating a few will fill your stomach.

Considering that they are of animal origin, the leathers also provide protein, vitamins A and B, calcium, magnesium and iron.

But there's also a downside. This ingredient is high in sodium, cholesterol, and carbohydrates. It's also high in calories, with 544 kilocalories consumed per 100 grams.

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