Of Schmaltz and Grieven

I greatly enjoyed reading about a rarely remembered Jewish soul food in “Risky Gribbeness” by Dan Berger (April 28). My mother would also save the fat from her chickens in the freezer and periodically work her magic with an iron frying pan and a huge pile of chopped onions. Our family called the cracklings grieven , which would sit in a colander on the counter for several days until nibbled away.

However, our primary motivation in preparing grieven was to obtain a jar of fragrant yellow schmaltz to keep in the refrigerator for sauteing, for sandwiches and for the preparation of the most moist and delicious mashed potatoes imaginable. My mother always used schmaltz in place of butter for mashed potatoes and we seldom made gravy to go along with them.

CELESTE LIDDLE

Glendora