Grasso

In the plural, grassi refers to all cooking fats, animal or vegetable. The fats used in different regions of Italy are dictated by the availability of local products. The northern custom is to cook with butter or lard. With modern nutritional awareness, however, today olive oil from the south has been widely adopted. Animal fats, like lard, are still used in the north, not only for reasons of economy, but also for their flavour. Certain recipes do not work with oil and need the original butter or lard to create the right texture or flavour. (See Lardo.)