Fats are esters. The alcohol is the trihydroxy alcohol, glycerol.

Basics about lipids (fats and oils). There are two numbers measured for fats and oils that help characterize them. The saponification number gives an indication of the molar mass, which says something about the size of the fatty acids in the fat's ester linkages. The iodine number[local] gives an indication of the degree of unsaturation. The smoke point is the temperature at which smoke evolves from heated fat.