Cooking with animal fat is not nearly as common a practice as it once was, but beef tallow is seeing something of a resurgence. Beef fat is excellent for adding richness to your cooking and extra flakiness to pie crusts and baked goods, but not all tallow is created equal, and tallow derived from wagyu beef is very special.

Wagyu beef is derived from premium breeds of Japanese cattle that are raised in a rigorous and controlled way, creating some of the most prized meat in the world that is well-marbled with fat. Saturated fats allow rendered tallow to take on a solid form, and wagyu fat is more rich and solid than other kinds, yet also better for your health.

Regular beef tallow helps your body absorb nutrients, but wagyu tallow takes these benefits and amplifies them, so you can have your fat and eat it too. Wagyu beef has 300 times more monounsaturated fats than regular, so it is easier for the body to process, and it is rich in acids that control cholesterol and improve heart health.