Rendered chicken or goose fat used in Jewish cooking, particularly Ashkenazi cuisine. Essential for cooking when dairy cannot be used due to kosher dietary laws.
From Yiddish 'shmalts,' derived from Middle High German 'smalz' (melted fat). The term entered English through Jewish immigrant communities who brought their traditional cooking methods to America.
Schmaltz isn't just cooking fat - it's a cornerstone of kosher cuisine that allows observant Jews to have rich, flavorful dishes without mixing meat and dairy! During Passover, many families render their own schmaltz from scratch, continuing a tradition that spans centuries.
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