This base type is of Germanic descent. It general, Schmalz means RENDERED FAT. In many dialects, it denotes DISSOLVED BUTTER WHICH THE WATER AND PROTEIN HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM. This facilitates conservation (cf. DWB under Schmalz). In regions where there is much dairy farming, Schmalz, meaning 'fresh and simmered butter', is often opposed to Anke 'fresh butter' (cf. Idiotikon under Schmalz).
With the meaning of 'butter', Schmalz also became a loanword in Alpine Romansh; cf. lld. smàlz (EWD VI: 273–274; Blad under smauz).
This type nicely shows the need, in the context of VerbaAlpina, to differentiate between the most remote etymon (Italian linguistics speaks of the etimologia remota; cf. Schweickard 2010) and the base type of the forms recorded. Naturally, the ger. Schmalz corresponds to the verb schmelzen, as Kluge elaborates:
„Sn std. (9. Jh.), mhd. smalz, ahd. smalz, mndd. smalt, smolt, mndl. smout as 'rendered fat' from schmelzen. Verb: schmalzen; adjective: schmalzig" (Kluge).
However, it seems that the noun in only documented in Dutch and German. It further seems to be the case that all forms recorded within VA's materials must be attributed to this noun. Because of this, it would be misleading to adduce a reconstructed Indo-Germanic verbal stem like *smelt-a.