Larding, or stuffing with lard, indicates an operation which consists in introducing in a piece of meat or fish sticks of lard, or fat ham (called lardelli). During cooking the lard will soften the meat inside. Usually the lardons are placed quite close together along the thread of the musculature, while inside birds' breasts they must be inserted transversely.

The lard must be firm, in fact it can be put in the freezer for a quarter of an hour so that it hardens. For this operation, it is best to to use a special tool called "lardatoio", consisting of a half pointed cannula, about 35 cm long, into which the lard is introduced to then insert it into the meat. In case of lack, the lard can be introduced inside an incision, made with a long narrow knife.