Lard is the naturally occurring fat found in pork. While its name has a bad reputation, lard has been used for centuries in baking and cooking for good reason.

Lard has a high vitamin D content, which helps improve immunity and bone strength. It is also high in oleic acid found in monounsaturated fat, which helps to prevent depression, has high anti-cancer properties and helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

With a good balance of stable saturated fats, lard is a very heat-stable oil with a flash point of around 400 F.