Culinary Fats from Animals

An important source of animal fats is cow’s milk, which has a 3.5 percent fat content. When churned into butter, the fat content rises to 82 percent, of which about 65 percent is saturated fat, depending on what the cows have been fed. On account of both melting properties and taste, butter is widely used in food preparation to provide texture, especially in sauces and baked goods. Clarified butter and ghee are almost pure fat.

Lard is 100 percent fat, of which 61 percent is unsaturated, and is made by rendering pork fat. Lard can be used like butter and it was once a common ingredient in baked goods, to which it contributed a noticeably meaty taste.