Butchers historically priced kidney fat higher than muscle meat. Suet, the hard fat around kidneys and loins, commanded premium prices. This wasn't arbitrary. This was market recognition of superior value. Kidney fat has a higher melting point than other animal fats, making it ideal for cooking and preservation. It's also more nutrient-dense than muscle meat. Victorian London: suet costs more per pound than decent cuts of beef. Poor families save to buy suet for Christmas pudding. Wealthy families use it liberally year-round. The market hierarchy reflected nutritional wisdom. Organ meats expensive. Kidney fat expensive. Lean muscle meat cheap. This is the opposite of modern pricing where lean cuts cost most and fat is trimmed and discarded. When did this flip? Mid-1900s as the lipid hypothesis gained traction. Suddenly fat became undesirable. Pricing inverted. Lean muscle meat became premium. Fat became waste product. But the original market pricing revealed knowledge that modern pricing obscures: fat is the valuable component.Butchers historically priced kidney fat higher than muscle meat. Suet, the hard fat around kidneys and loins, commanded premium prices.
— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) December 16, 2025
This wasn't arbitrary. This was market recognition of superior value. Kidney fat has a higher melting point than other animal fats, making it… pic.twitter.com/MPL3KQFpb7
The market knew this for centuries before nutritional science decided otherwise.
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