Lard

Lard is rendered pork fat that is white and semi-solid at room temperature. It has a clean, faintly porky aroma and a neutral, rich taste, yielding flaky pastries and crisp frying results; it’s commonly used for frying, roasting, and baking, and is sold as shelf-stable blocks or tubs, with leaf lard prized for pastry.

Before the rise of seed oils, cooks across Europe, the Americas, and parts of East Asia relied on lard, and it remains central in cuisines such as Mexican and Southern U.S. Commercial production typically renders backfat and leaf fat using wet or dry methods.