What Are Animal Fats Called? A Guide to Lard, Tallow, and Schmaltz

December 24, 2025 •

4 min read

For centuries, people have included animal fats in their food and cooking, with these fats being a dietary staple before modern vegetable oils. So, what are animal fats called? The names depend on the source and processing, leading to distinct terms like lard, tallow, and schmaltz, each with unique properties and uses.

Quick Summary

Animal fats have specific names, including lard (pork fat), tallow (beef fat), and schmaltz (poultry fat), each valued for distinct culinary uses, textures, and flavors. These fats are traditionally purified through a process called rendering.

Key Points

Lard (Pork Fat): A soft, creamy fat prized for baking flaky pastries and excellent for high-heat sautéing.
Tallow (Beef Fat): A hard, brittle fat with a subtle beefy flavor, ideal for deep-frying and roasting due to its high smoke point.
Schmaltz (Poultry Fat): A rich, savory fat from chicken or goose, traditionally used to add depth to soups and sautéed dishes.
Rendering is the Process: This is how raw animal tissue is converted into a purified, stable fat like lard or tallow.
Nutritionally Re-evaluated: Studies suggest animal fats are stable, nutrient-dense, and beneficial in a balanced diet.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins: Animal fats are a natural source of essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Understanding the Terminology for Animal Fats

The question "what are animal fats called?" reveals a surprising variety of terms, each referring to fat from a specific animal source or prepared in a particular way. These names have been part of culinary tradition for centuries, though many were less common with the rise of industrial vegetable oils in the 20th century.

Lard: The Versatile Pork Fat

Lard is rendered pork fat. It has been a key part of baking and cooking for many generations because of its neutral flavor and creamy texture. The best lard for baking comes from the fat around a pig's kidneys, called 'leaf lard,' which produces a very clean, mild-flavored, and flaky fat, ideal for pie crusts and pastries. Lard has a higher smoke point than butter, making it good for sautéing and frying.

Tallow: From Ruminants to Roasties

Tallow is rendered fat from ruminant animals like cows, sheep, or bison. Unlike soft lard, tallow is solid and hard at room temperature because of its higher saturated fat content. This makes it ideal for high-heat cooking, such as frying and roasting. McDonald's famously used to fry its french fries in beef tallow, and many home cooks still prefer it for making crispy roast potatoes or fried chicken. Suet, a related term, refers to the raw, hard fat found around the kidneys of beef or mutton before rendering.

Schmaltz: The Savory Poultry Fat

Derived from chicken or goose fat, schmaltz holds a special place in many Jewish and European cuisines. It is known for its rich, savory flavor that can be used to add depth to soups, roast vegetables, or create a flavorful base for sautéing. Schmaltz from geese is particularly prized for its robust flavor and high monounsaturated fat content.

Other Animal Fats

Beyond the most common trio, other animal fats include:

Ghee: A type of clarified butter, which is butter that has been simmered to remove the milk solids and water. Ghee has an exceptionally high smoke point, a rich, nutty flavor, and is shelf-stable for months.
Duck Fat: Highly prized in French cuisine, duck fat is a flavorful and stable cooking fat. Like schmaltz, it is excellent for roasting vegetables, particularly potatoes, yielding a deep, savory taste.
Drippings: This is a general term for the fat and juices that drip from meat as it cooks. Drippings, such as bacon grease, can be saved and reused as a flavor base for subsequent dishes.

The Art of Rendering Animal Fat

Rendering is the process of melting and clarifying animal fat to separate it from any remaining meat or connective tissue, yielding a purified fat. This can be done in a kitchen using two primary methods:

Dry Rendering: The fat is heated slowly in a pan without any added liquid. The heat melts the fat and cooks the small pieces of meat and skin into crispy leftovers called 'cracklings'.
Wet Rendering: The fat is simmered with a small amount of water. As the fat melts, it floats to the top, and the water helps prevent scorching. The finished product is purer, with less of a strong flavor.

Properly rendered and stored fat can last for months in the refrigerator or even longer when frozen, making it a shelf-stable and economical resource.

The Re-evaluation of Animal Fats in Nutrition

For decades, animal fats were criticized and linked to heart disease, leading to a shift towards industrially produced vegetable oils. However, modern nutritional science is challenging these beliefs, suggesting the picture is more complex.

Nutrient-Density: Animal fats are rich sources of essential, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), which are crucial for overall health.
Stable for Cooking: The high saturated and monounsaturated fat content of animal fats makes them more stable and resistant to oxidation at high temperatures compared to many polyunsaturated vegetable oils, which can form harmful compounds.
Satiety: The satisfying richness of animal fats can help promote a feeling of fullness, which can aid in weight management by reducing the tendency to overeat.

Comparison Table: Lard vs. Tallow vs. Schmaltz


Feature	Lard (Pork Fat)	Tallow (Beef Fat)	Schmaltz (Poultry Fat)
Animal Source	Pig	Cow, sheep	Chicken, goose
Texture at Room Temp	Softer, creamier	Harder, more brittle	Softer, can be liquid
Flavor Profile	Mild, neutral (especially leaf lard)	Subtle, beefy undertone	Rich, savory
Best For	Baking (pie crusts), sautéing	Frying, roasting	Flavoring soups, roasting vegetables
Smoke Point	~370°F	~400°F	~375°F

Conclusion: The Resurgence of Traditional Fats

While various terms are used, the essential answer to "what are animal fats called?" is a nuanced one, depending on the animal source and processing method. From the flaky pastries made with lard to the crispy fried potatoes from tallow, these traditional fats offer unique culinary and nutritional benefits. Highlighting their stability and nutrient content, animal fats are regaining their place in gourmet and home kitchens. Incorporating these fats, sourced responsibly from healthy animals, can be a delicious and wholesome addition to a balanced diet.

For further reading on the nutritional science behind animal fats, a compelling resource is available at: https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/.

Frequently Asked Questions

Lard is rendered pork fat, which has a softer, creamier consistency and a milder flavor, making it excellent for baking. Tallow is rendered beef or sheep fat, which is harder and has a richer, more robust flavor, ideal for high-heat frying.

Not all animal fat is the same, but it is a primary source of saturated fat. Most animal fats contain a mix of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, with saturated fat being the most prominent component, especially in solid fats like tallow.

Schmaltz is rendered chicken or goose fat. It is highly valued for its savory flavor and is traditionally used in cooking to sauté vegetables, enrich soups, and as a base for many flavorful dishes.

Yes, rendering animal fat at home is a straightforward process. You can use either a dry method (melting the fat alone) or a wet method (melting the fat with water) to create pure, clarified fat for cooking or baking.

Many modern nutrition experts argue that certain animal fats can be a healthy cooking choice, especially when sourced from pasture-raised animals. Their stability at high temperatures makes them a safer alternative to some refined vegetable oils, and they are a source of fat-soluble vitamins.

The hard, raw fat found specifically around the kidneys of cows and sheep is called suet. When rendered, it becomes tallow, but suet itself is often used in traditional British baking for dishes like puddings.

Rendering separates the pure fat from the meat and connective tissues, clarifying it and increasing its shelf-stability. The process removes water and impurities, allowing the rendered fat to be stored for extended periods without spoiling.