What Is Schmaltz? Rendered Poultry Fat Explained

Part of our Heritage Kitchen Glossary – short guides to the ingredients and techniques behind Eastern European cooking.

The short answer

Schmaltz is rendered poultry fat, chicken or goose, the cooking fat of Ashkenazi Jewish kitchens in Eastern Europe. Geese were slaughtered before Hanukkah so that their fat would last through the winter, when butter was scarce. In Italy and Central Europe, Hanukkah pancakes were fried in olive oil or butter; in Eastern Europe the easiest fat to come by, especially in winter, was schmaltz.

Schmaltz and kosher law

Kosher law keeps meat and dairy apart, and schmaltz counts as meat. Pancakes fried in it became meat dishes, so the cheese once eaten in Hanukkah pancakes gave way to root vegetables such as turnips, or to rye or buckwheat flour. Meat pancakes were often served with jam.

Why it faded

Jewish immigrants who came to America in the early 20th century switched to neutral vegetable oil. Crisco, a vegetable shortening launched in 1911, is part of that story. It was kosher and pareve, neither meat nor dairy, so a single fat could stand in for both schmaltz and butter, and a 1913 advertisement in English and Yiddish was aimed straight at Jewish cooks.

Schmaltz from the soup pot

You can get schmaltz without rendering anything. In our Traditional Matzo Ball Soup the broth is chilled overnight, the fat that sets on top is lifted off, and that fat goes into the matzo balls. In Lithuania, kneidlach with a little schmaltz inside were known as “matzah balls with souls.”

Where else you will meet it on this site

Some cooks still use schmaltz for part of the frying fat in latkes, for its savory flavor. Fat rendered for flavor turns up outside the Jewish kitchen as well: Ukrainian banosh, a cornmeal porridge from the Carpathians, is often topped with crisp cracklings fried from salo, salted pork fat.

Substitutes and the lighter view

Olive oil or another liquid vegetable oil can replace schmaltz. By weight, chicken fat has about twice the saturated fat of olive oil, and the American Heart Association recommends nontropical liquid oils in place of solid fats. The lighter section of our matzo ball soup recipe makes that swap, and at least one published matzo ball recipe already uses olive oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is schmaltz?

Schmaltz is rendered poultry fat, chicken or goose. In the Ashkenazi Jewish kitchens of Eastern Europe it was the easiest fat to come by, especially in winter.

Why couldn’t schmaltz be used with cheese?

Kosher law keeps meat and dairy apart, and schmaltz counts as meat. Pancakes fried in it became meat dishes, so cheese gave way to root vegetables or to rye and buckwheat flour.

Why did schmaltz fall out of use?

Jewish immigrants who came to America in the early 20th century switched to neutral vegetable oil. Crisco, launched in 1911, was pareve, so one fat could replace both schmaltz and butter.

What can I substitute for schmaltz?

Olive oil or another liquid vegetable oil. Chicken fat has about twice the saturated fat of olive oil, and the American Heart Association recommends nontropical liquid oils in place of solid fats.

Is the fat on top of chilled chicken soup schmaltz?

Yes. When chicken broth is chilled overnight, the fat sets on the surface and can be lifted off. Our Traditional Matzo Ball Soup uses it for the matzo balls, so there is no need to render any separately.