Skip to content
Taste of TürkiyeTaste of Türkiye

The Turkish pantry

Sheep tail fat

Sheep tail fat is distinct from rendered tallow, beef suet and ordinary muscle meat.

Last updated:

Raw fat from a fat-tailed sheep’s tail. It is not rendered tallow, beef suet or ordinary muscle meat.

Raw ivory sheep tail fat with faint pink seams and two cut slices

Types & forms

Raw tail fat

Pale fatty tissue used finely chopped or minced.

Rendered fat · comparison

Already melted and clarified; composition differs from raw tissue.

What to look for when buying

  • Ask a butcher specifically for food-grade sheep tail fat.
  • Buy chilled with a clear source and use-by advice.

Prepare & cook

  • Keep cold while chopping so it distributes through the lamb.
  • Measure separately from the meat and follow the skewer cooking temperature.

Store it well

  • Refrigerate in a closed container and follow the butcher’s use-by advice.
  • Once mixed with minced meat, use within one to two days at 40°F or below, or freeze promptly.

Substitutions depend on the dish

Other animal fat

Changes flavor and melting behavior; use a recipe specifying that fat.

Nutrition

No verified nutrition data is available for this ingredient.

At the Turkish table

Our home skewer adaptation keeps tail fat separate from lamb in its ingredient list.

Cook with Sheep tail fat

Grilled minced-meat kebabs on flatbread with charred tomato, green pepper and sumac onions
Adana style

Adana-Style Lamb Skewers

Hand-chopped lamb and tail fat grilled on flat skewers, with warm flatbread, charred vegetables and sumac onions.

Lamb kavurma with flatbread, raw onion and parsley.
Aksaray style

Aksaray Kavurma

Lamb cooked with sheep tail fat, seasoned with kekik and pepper, served in flatbread with onion and parsley.

Baked lamb with tomatoes, green peppers and whole garlic in a metal tray, with flatbread.
Aksaray style

Aksaray Tava

Small pieces of lamb baked with tomatoes, green peppers and whole garlic in a rich tomato and pepper sauce, served with warm lavaş.

Lamb pieces and chickpeas in golden broth with roasted tomato and green pepper in an earthenware casserole
Kars style

Lamb and Chickpea Stew

Lamb and chickpeas in turmeric broth, finished with tomato and green pepper in an earthenware casserole. This home adaptation follows the Kars lamb-and-chickpea preparation. It is distinct from other regional dishes also called piti. Use oven-safe cookware and protect the table from the hot casserole.