The well-known hearty flavors of Umbrian cooking come not only from the foods themselves, but also from the use of seasonings and condiments. Lard, which is pork fat, was often used in the past in the place of olive oil in the preparing of soups and sauces, because when it was beaten together with herbs and spices, it would give them a decided flavor and, at the same time, it provided a significant amount of calories.

Strutto, or rendered lard, was used in roasts as a pillotto, a kind of lardoon (it was inserted along with herbs and spices into cuts made in pieces of meat), and it was also spread over meat as it turned over a spit.