Fat. Here's the description for one ingredient, stearic acid:
A saturated fatty acid with a waxlike texture. Its color and tendency to clump make it look like wet snow. It’s sometimes made of various forms of vegetable and animal fats (beef fat can be as much as 20 percent stearic acid by weight). Don’t tell the baby Jesus in your Nativity scene, but that faux snow may not be kosher.
(Photo by Flickr user .imelda)
The Dish 