Key Difference – Tallow vs Lard
Tallow and lard are two fats which are derived from animal products. Tallow is processed from suet, the raw fat of beef or mutton. Lard is made from pig fat. Thus, the key difference between tallow and lard stems from their source; tallow is derived from mutton or beef whereas lard is derived from pork.
What is Tallow?
Tallow is a hard fatty substance made from rendered animal fat. It is processed from suet (raw fat of beef or mutton, especially the hard fat around the loins and kidneys) Beef and mutton are the meat that is used in the production of tallow. Commercially produced tallow can be derived from other animal sources such as pork, and even plant sources.
Like lard and dipping, which are also produced from animal fats, tallow can be used as a shortening. It can be also used for deep frying. Apart from its use in cooking, tallow is also used in the production of soap, candles, and biodiesel. In industrial usage, tallow is defined by certain technical criteria such as melting point.
What is Lard?
Lard is a semi-solid fat that is obtained from pig fat. Lard can be made from any part of the pig which has a high concentration of fatty tissues. There are two methods to render the lard: the dry rendering and the wet rendering. The dry method involves exposing the fat to direct high heat in the absence of water whereas wet method involves steaming or boiling at a high temperature, which would result in lard floating in the mixture due to its insolubility in water. The rendering process, and the part of the pig from which the fat was taken can affect the texture, taste and flavor of the lard.
Lard can be used in baking and cooking. It can be used as a spread, just like butter or dripping. It also has industrial uses in the production of cosmetics, and the creation of bio-fuel.
What is the difference between Tallow and Lard?
Source:
Tallow is made from beef or mutton.
Lard is made from pork.
Texture:
Tallow is a solid.
Lard is a semi-solid.
Meat:
Tallow is usually processed from suet.
Lard can be taken from any meat part which has a high concentration of fatty tissues.
Saturated Fat Content:
Tallow has a saturated fat content of 42g.
Lard has a saturated fat content of 39g.
Uses:
Tallow is mainly used in soap production and as animal feed.
Lard has more culinary uses than tallow.
Image Courtesy:
“Tallow-beef suet after rendering” By FotoosvanRobin – originally posted to Flickr as Niervet in potje met zout en peperkorrels (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“Schweineschmalz-1” By Rainer Zenz – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia