Suet

Suetis the raw, hardfatofbeef,lambormuttonfound around theloinsandkidneys.
Suet has amelting pointof between 45 and 50 °C (113 and 122 °F) andcongelationbetween 37 and 40 °C (99 and 104 °F). Its highsmoke pointmakes it ideal fordeep fryingandpastryproduction.
The primary use of suet is to maketallow, although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking, especially in traditional baked puddings, such as BritishChristmas pudding. Suet is made into tallow in a process calledrendering, which involves melting fats and extendedsimmering, followed by straining, then cooling. The entire process is then usually repeated to refine the product.
The wordsuet/ˈs(j)uːɪt/is derived fromAnglo-Normansiuet, suet, fromOld Frenchsieu, seu, from Latinsēbum('tallow', 'grease', 'hardanimal fat').Sebumis from theProto-Indo-Europeanroot*seyb-('pour out, trickle'), so it shares a root withsapandsoap.
In the 17th century economy of theViceroyalty of Peru, Chile's husbandry and agriculture based economy had a peripheral role exporting mainly suet,jerkyandleatherto the other provinces of the viceroyalty. The importance of this trade led Chilean historianBenjamín Vicuña Mackennato label the 17th century thecentury of suet(Spanish:siglo del sebo).
Suet is found in several traditional British dishes. Suet pastry is soft in contrast to the crispness ofshortcrust pastry, which makes it ideal for certain sweet and savoury dishes. Suet is most widely used in sweet British baked puddings, such asjam roly-polyandspotted dick. Savoury dishes include dumplings, which are made using a mixture of suet, flour and water rolled into balls that are added to stews during the final twenty minutes or so of cooking. In the savoury dishsteak and kidney pudding, a bowl is lined with a suet pastry, the meat is placed inside and a lid of suet pastry tightly seals the meat. The pudding is then steamed for approximately four hours before serving. Suet is also an ingredient of traditionalmincemeat, which is also referred to as 'fruit mince'.
As it is the fat from around the kidneys, the connective tissue, blood and other non-fat content must be removed. It then must be coarsely grated. It must be refrigerated prior to use and used within a few days of purchase, similar to raw meat.
Due to its high energy content, cold weather explorers use suet to supplement the high daily energy requirement needed to travel in such climates. Typically the energy requirement is around 5,000–6,000Calper day for sledge hauling or dog-sled travelling.Suet is added to food rations to increase the fat content and help meet this high energy requirement.
Pre-packaged suet sold insupermarketsisdehydratedsuet. It is mixed with flour to make it stable at room temperature, requiring some care when using it for recipes calling for fresh suet, as the proportions of flour to fat can change. Most modern processed recipes stipulate packaged suet.
Also available is vegetable suet, which is made from refined vegetable oil.
Consumption of suet is forbidden according toJewishlaw and it was reserved for ritual altar sacrifices. This restriction only applies to those animals which were used for sacrifices, and thus does not include wild animals such as deer.Maimonidesin his bookGuide To The Perplexed, writes that one of the ideas behind this commandment is that theTorahwants to teach people to develop the discipline to avoid very tasty foods that are unhealthy.
Cakes of suetare popularly used for feeding wild birds and may be made with other solid fats, such aslard. Rolled oats,bird seed, cornmeal, raisins, and unsalted nuts are often incorporated into the suet cakes.
In North America, birds such aswoodpeckers,goldfinches,juncos,cardinals,thrushes,jays,kinglets,bluebirds,chickadees,nuthatches,wrens, andstarlingspreferbird feedersoffering suet.