manteca porcina
/manteka poɾθina/from spelling rulesfeminine
In Spanish, the English phrase 'lard' is translated as manteca porcina. Wiktionary also lists manteca porcuna and lardo.
Meaning: fat from the abdomen of a pig (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| manteca porcina | /manteka poɾθina/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /manteka poɾsina/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
| manteca porcuna | /manteka poɾkuna/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| lardo | /ˈlaɾdo/ | masculine |
The term refers to fat from the abdomen of a pig. In a culinary context, the word manteca alone is often used to mean lard or any animal fat, whereas manteca porcina specifically refers to pork lard.
Which one should you use?
The word lardo refers specifically to the cured slab of fatback used in gourmet cooking, rather than the rendered fat used for frying.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
manteca porcina and manteca porcuna are feminine nouns, while lardo is a masculine noun.
Did you know?
- In Argentina and Uruguay, manteca almost exclusively refers to butter, whereas in Mexico it primarily refers to lard.
- The word manteca is a linguistic enigma because its origins are uncertain, with some scholars believing it may stem from pre-Roman, Paleo-Hispanic languages like Iberian or Celtiberian rather than Latin.
- The Spanish manteca and the Portuguese manteiga look and sound similar, yet they refer to different products: 'lard' and 'butter'.
Examples in context
- Para freír las papas, puedes usar manteca.To fry the potatoes, you can use lard.
- ¿Dónde puedo conseguir manteca de cerdo en esta ciudad?Where can I find lard in this city?
- La receta requiere manteca porcina.The recipe requires lard.
- Prefiero usar manteca porcina para la masa.I prefer using lard for the dough.
- Esta manteca porcina es de muy buena calidad.This lard is of very good quality.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are cooking in the kitchen.
- AlejandroLucía, ¿tienes manteca porcina en la despensa?Lucía, do you have lard in the pantry?
- LucíaNo, Alejandro, se terminó ayer.No, Alejandro, it ran out yesterday.
- AlejandroTengo que ir a la tienda entonces.I have to go to the store then.
- LucíaTrae un paquete pequeño de manteca porcina.Bring a small package of lard.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lard” translations and entries lardo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lardo, manteca, CC BY-SA 4.0.
