Suet and other fat cut from slaughtered cattle and sheep. Melted down and strained, it became tallow, the ordinary fuel for candles, which were cheaper than beeswax, and a grease for lubricating and dressing. Tallow was also used in soap. The London craft of tallow chandlers is recorded later, from around 1300, but tallow candles were in common use long before.
Caveats (confidence: medium)
Documentary evidence for the organised tallow trade is 14th-century; 12th-century practice is inferred.
Sources: tallowchandlers.org
Made by
- Slaughter
Used to make
- Render tallow