Suet

Suet is the raw, hard fat of beef, lamb or mutton found around the loins and kidneys, with a melting point of 45 to 50 degrees Celsius and a solidification point of 37 to 40 degrees Celsius. Its name derives from Anglo-Norman and Old French roots tracing to the Latin sebum, meaning tallow or hard animal fat, a root shared with the modern words sap and soap. It is central to traditional British cooking, used in baked puddings such as Christmas pudding and in a distinctively soft suet pastry different from shortcrust pastry, and can be rendered into tallow by melting, simmering, straining and cooling. Its high smoke point also suits it to deep frying, and cold-weather explorers have historically relied on it as a high-energy supplement to meet the 21,000 to 25,000 kilojoules a day needed for sledge travel.