Suet facts for kids

Calf suet, which is a type of suet.

Suet is a special kind of hard, raw fat that comes from beef or mutton (sheep). You usually find it around the loins and kidneys of these animals.

When you buy suet from a store, it's often already prepared. This means it's mixed with a little flour. The flour helps to keep the suet from melting too quickly at room temperature.

Suet in Cooking

Suet is a key ingredient in many traditional British dishes. It makes a unique kind of pastry called suet pastry. This pastry is soft, unlike the crispy texture of shortcrust pastry. This softness makes suet pastry perfect for certain sweet and savory foods.

Sweet Dishes with Suet

Suet is most often used in sweet puddings. Some famous examples include jam roly-poly and spotted dick. These are steamed desserts that get their special texture from suet.

Savory Dishes with Suet

Suet is also used in savory meals.

• Dumplings: These are small balls made from a mix of suet, flour, and water. You add them to stews during the last 20 minutes of cooking. They become soft and fluffy.
• Steak and Kidney Pudding: For this dish, a bowl is lined with suet pastry. Meat and other ingredients are placed inside. Then, a lid of suet pastry seals it tightly. The pudding is then steamed for about four hours before it's ready to eat.
• Fruit Mince: Suet is also an ingredient in traditional fruit mince. In the UK, this is simply called 'mincemeat'. It's often used in pies, especially around holidays.

Suet vs. Other Fats

It's important not to confuse suet with other types of animal fat.

• Beef Dripping: This is the fat and juices that collect in the pan when you roast beef. Suet is different because it's raw fat from specific parts of the animal.
• General Beef or Sheep Fat: Not all fat from a cow or sheep is suet. Suet specifically refers to the hard fat found only around the heart and kidneys of these animals.

Suet for Energy

Because suet has a lot of energy, it's very useful for people in cold places. Explorers who travel in icy climates need a lot of energy every day. For example, pulling a sled or traveling by dog-sled can require 5,000 to 6,000 Calories per day. Suet is added to their food rations to increase the fat content. This helps them get the high amount of energy they need to stay warm and strong.

Images for kids

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  A Red-breasted nuthatch eating suet, which is also used as bird food.

See also

In Spanish: Sebo para niños