What’s the Talk About Tallow? What You Need to Know
You’ve probably seen grass fed beef tallow pop up on your social media feed or even on grocery store shelves. But what is it, and why is it making a comeback? From its ancestral origins to its modern applications, here’s the what, why, and how of this traditional cooking fat that’s stood the test of time. What Is Beef Tallow? At its core, tallow is a fat derived from ruminant animals such as cows, mutton, or sheep. It’s gently melted and cooled, yielding a creamy cooking fat. Long before tallow went viral, this traditional cooking fat has been used for centuries. Tallow production dates back to ancient times, and the word itself means ‘sebum’ in Latin. Fast-forward to the 18th century and the Industrial Revolution, and tallow became a staple in many households for its versatile uses in and out of the kitchen. Although the introduction of vegetable oils led to its decline around the 20th century, the modern-day holistic movement is resurrecting this ancestral fat, and for good rea...