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Smalec, or lard, is served with bread as a starter in Polish restaurants. But the man and woman from a village near the town of Czestochowa face animal cruelty charges after police and veterinary inspectors, acting on information from an animal charity, discovered evidence suggesting they were producing and selling smalec made out of dogs raised on their property.

Working their way through a number of outbuildings officials came across rotting dog remains strewn across floors, and over 20 caged mongrels, some so obese that they could hardly stand.

In another room, along with an axe, machinery and bloodied clothing, police found what they described as a "filthy" fridge containing dozens of bottles of lard.

"I don't even want to think about what happened here," said one police scientist. "It makes your hair stand on end."

The bottles have been sent for tests to see if they contain dog fat or, as one of the suspects maintains, pig lard. If confirmed, it would mean dog consumption, more commonly associated with China and South Korea, still has a foothold in Europe.

Smalec is generally made from pork but police and animal welfare activists believe the farm owners had started using dog lard to profit from old beliefs, apparently still present in the countryside, that canine fat has special medicinal properties.

"We know of places in Poland where dogs are killed as part of a tradition going back generations," said Renata Mizera, head of the charity Foundation For Animals, which had been investigating the farm. "Dog fat is thought to be good for lung diseases and other illnesses. It's also good business. A half-litre bottle can go for about £30."