Lard vs Tallow: Difference and Comparison

The animal products industry all over the world generates total revenue of around $185 billion easily. In contrast, some of these products are in the form of materialistic things such as horns, teeth, leather, etc.

Lard and Tallow are the two forms of extracted fat from animal meat. These are rendered to make them come into their purest form.

Key Takeaways

1. Lard comes from pig fat, while tallow is rendered from beef or mutton fat.
2. Both are used for cooking, baking, and as a source of energy, but lard has a softer texture.
3. Tallow has a higher melting point and is more suitable for high-temperature cooking methods like frying.

Lard vs Tallow 

Lard is a type of rendered animal fat used for cooking or soap made from pig fat, while tallow, which is also a rendered animal fat, is made from beef or mutton fat. Lard has a lower melting point and is often used for baking, while tallow has a higher melting point and is often used for frying.

When the process of extracting the fat from a piece of pig meat is done, that extracted amount of fat is known as Lard. If the internal body of a pig is looked at, this fat cannot be seen easily.  

While on the other side, when the process of extracting the fat from a piece of beef and mutton is done, that extracted amount of fat is known as Tallow.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Lard	Tallow
Origin	It is the pure form of fat extracted from pig or pork meat.	It is the pure form of fat extracted from Beef or Mutton or the meat of other related animals.
Appearance	Soft at room temperature and liquid while melted.	Hard at room temperature.
Nutrition value	A vast source of Vitamin D	Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Omega 3 fatty acids along with Vitamin E
Uses	baking cookies, pastries, pies, and cakes, also work as a substitute for vegetable oil.	Deep frying food is eaten along with beef.
Taste	The taste of this fat happens to be very subtle that it does not change the taste of things with which it is added. It can be added with things of any taste.	This fat lags a little behind when it comes to the taste factor. It somewhere tastes like beef and can be added with things which are accompanied with beef.
Beauty benefits	No such benefit is associated.	It can also be used in skincare routines and delays aging.

What is Lard? 

Lard is the name given to the processed fat extracted from a piece of meat of a pig. The process of extracting it involves melting the particular meat gradually in order to separate the fat from the skin in its purest form.

The area present under their skin produces the maximum amount of fat, and this is the exact part that is used for rendering.

Pigs roam freely under the sun, which makes them a huge source of Vitamin D. Hence, Lard also contains a vast quantity of Vitamin D.

What is Tallow? 

When mutton of beef is rendered, and the amount of fat contained in them is released, that fat is known by the name Tallow. It is mostly obtained from cows or buffaloes.

To extract the fat from the body portion, a rendering procedure is carried out. The meat is slowly melted at a temperature below its boiling point, causing the fat to escape the skin tissue.  

However, one significant disadvantage is that it retains the odor of beef even after being separated from it. As a result of this phenomenon, it is extremely difficult for this fat to be used in edible foods.

Main Differences Between Lard and Tallow 

1. Lard happens to be rich in Vitamin D and fatty acids because pigs are naturally exposed to the sun. In contrast, Tallow is more nutritional in terms of Omega 3 and Vitamin E.  
2. Lard is primarily used for cooking and baking purposes, while Tallow is majorly used as vegetable oil for deep frying or ingredient in beauty products.  

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096399690200159X
2. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie980162s