Suet

Suet is the hard, white fat from cattle or sheep, typically located around the kidneys. It is distinguished from leaf fat and from the tallow obtained when fat is fully rendered. In cooking, suet is valued for its high melting point and crumbly texture, which helps create flaky pastry and moist steamed puddings. Fresh suet can be used as is, while rendered suet yields a stable fat known as tallow.

Suet is often sold in two forms: raw (unrendered) and rendered. Raw suet is usually finely chopped or grated for recipes such as suet puddings and dumplings. Rendered suet is melted and strained to produce tallow, which can be solidified and used like other cooking fats. Some commercial suet is ground with flour or other ingredients to aid mixing and structure in pastry.

In traditional British cuisine, suet is a key ingredient in steamed puddings (for example, plum pudding and treacle pudding), mincemeat, and suet crust pies. It also appears in savory dumplings and in certain regional pastries. In modern cooking, butter, shortening, or leaf lard can substitute for suet in many recipes, though the texture may differ.

Storage and safety: Fresh suet should be refrigerated and used within a few days; rendered suet/tallow should be kept refrigerated and used promptly or frozen for longer storage. Avoid rancidity by keeping it sealed and refrigerating.

Other uses: Suet is sold for bird feeding as suet cakes or blocks, often mixed with seeds and grains to provide energy for wild birds.