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Glite Dictionary
leaf fat

leaf fat

9.1
A layer of fat around a pig's kidneys used to make lard
  • noun
translation icon : manteca de hoja
  • I got instruction from Butter at Hunger and Thirst to render my pastured leaf fat in a good quality crock pot in my garage.

Examples

  • The butcher recommended using leaf fat to achieve a richer flavor when making homemade lard.

  • Chefs often prefer to use leaf fat for making lard due to its superior quality around the kidneys of the hog.

  • When cooking, I always choose leaf fat for its ideal texture and taste for lard preparation.

Synonyms

lard
vsleaf fat
52 3.3

Soft white fat from pigs used for cooking and baking

is the specific kidney area fat rather than the rendered product
leaf lard
vsleaf fat
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A soft, good quality pig fat from around the kidneys that people use in baking

is the raw fat layer commonly used to make cooking fat

Surface Forms

leaf fat singular
leaf fats plural

Morphology

leaf + fat

This is a specialized butchery/anatomical term: 'leaf' here does not mean a plant leaf but names a particular layer of pork fat around the kidneys, so the literal combination 'leaf' + 'fat' will mislead a learner who knows only the common senses. The meaning is domain-specific and not predictably derivable from the everyday meanings of the constituents, making it opaque to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Leaf fat comes from a thin, flat layer of fat that lies like a leaf around a pig's kidneys. Cooks and butchers would melt this clean layer to make 'lard' for baking, so the name now refers to that special layer of fat.