000837 Pork Rind Making American Comeback

Lima, OH - Warm family memories can be sparked by a simple food pleasure. Bring out the iced tea and a big bag of pork rinds, and you have the makings of a strong Southern heritage that is now being recaptured in cities across America.

According to pork rind producers, the popularity of low-carb diets may be touching off a spurt in sales, but the reality is the pork rind has joined the family tree as grandparents pass the tradition from the farm to the front porch of America. Pork rinds apparently bring out cherished recollections of simpler times. Grandma may leave the family her quilt, but it may be her love of pork rinds they enjoy from generation to generation.

As seen recently on NBC's Today Show, the pork rind tradition has apparently passed from former President George Bush, to his son and presidential candidate, George W. Pork rind manufacturers are encouraged to see that the Bush family tree includes the crunchy, bacon-flavored snack.

Cindy Rudolph is a North Carolina native and daughter-in-law of the founders of Rudolph Foods of Lima, Ohio, the world's largest producers of pork rinds. She is not surprised to see the generational passion pork rinds invoke.

“I grew up eating pork rinds. Its a very common tradition in the south, passed on from generation to generation,” said Cindy. “My children love pork rinds already. It's easy to imagine George W. follows the tradition.”

The Rudolph family knows the heritage of pork rinds very well. John Rudolph took note of the popularity of the Mexican-style snack back in the mid-1950s. But it was Mary Rudolph who developed Rudolph Foods' secret family recipe. Today, that secret is the key to processing more than a billion servings of the crunchy snack annually, shipped to pork rind lovers all over the world.

So the tradition continues. The pork rind may have its roots on the southern, Hispanic and African American family trees, but it is definitely branching out to its northern neighbors. Diets or no diets, pork rinds are a passion that more and more American families will pass down to the next generation.

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