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Beef

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Beef is muscle tissue obtained from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef is one of the principal meats used in European cuisine and cuisine of the Americas, and is important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia as well. In the Middle East, lamb is the usual meat preferred over beef. Beef is taboo to Hindus and its consumption is discouraged among some Buddhists.

Beef can be cut into steaks, pot roasts or short ribs, or it can be ground. Several Asian and European nationalities include the blood in their cuisine as well—it is used in some varieties of blood sausage. Other beef variety meats include the tongue, which is usually sliced for sandwiches in Western cooking; tripe from the stomach; various glands—particularly the pancreas and thyroid—referred to as sweetbreads; the heart, the brain, the liver, the kidneys; and the tender testicles of the bull commonly known as "calf fries", "prairie oysters", or "Rocky Mountain oysters." Beef bones are essential for making soup stock.

The better cuts are usually obtained from the steer, as the heifer tends to be kept for breeding. Older animals are used for beef when they are past their reproductive prime. The meat from older cows and bulls is generally tougher, so it is frequently used for ground beef US/ mince UK. Cattle raised for beef may be allowed to roam free on grasslands, or may be confined at some stage in pens as part of a large feeding operation called a feedlot, where they are usually fed grain.

The United States, Brazil, the European Union, Japan and the People's Republic of China are the world's five largest producers of beef. Beef production is also important to the economies of Nicaragua, Argentina, Russia, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.

A cut of beef.

A cut of beef.

 

Sliced beef.

Sliced beef.

 

A History of Beef's Genetic Ancestry

Cattle have genetic ancestry dating back to Europe and the other Old World continents with the exception of bison (buffalo) hybrids. Cattle are not native to the American continents and come from such less obvious origins as Wagyu from Japan, Ankole-Watusi from Egypt, and longhorn Zebu from Pakistan and India. [3] Cattle were widely used for meat across the Old World except in religious or draft uses. Some breeds were specifically bred to increase meat yield or texture like the Angus or Wagyu.

USDA Beef grades

In the United States, the USDA operates a voluntary beef grading program. The meat processor pays for the presence of a highly trained USDA meat grader at the abattoir who grades the whole carcass prior to fabrication. The carcass grade is stamped on each primal cut (six stamps) and applied with roller stamp to each side as well. Traces of the USDA grading stamp are sometimes visible on boxed primal cuts.

The grades are based on two main criteria, the degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef rib eye and the age of the animal prior to slaughter. Some meat scientists object to the current scheme of USDA grading since it does not take tenderness into account. Most other countries' beef grading systems mirror the US model. Most beef offered for sale in supermarkets is graded choice or select. Prime beef is sold to hotels and upscale restaurants. Beef that would rate as Standard or leaner is almost never offered for grading.

Inspected carcasses tagged by the USDA

Inspected carcasses tagged by the USDA

Traditionally, beef sold in steakhouses and supermarkets has been advertised by its USDA grading; however, many restaurants and retailers have recently begun advertising beef on the strength of brand names and the reputation of a specific breed of cattle, such as black angus [1] [2].

Cuts of beef

Beef is first divided into primal cuts. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut.When looking at a diagrams such as the ones below, note that the closer to the middle back, the more tender the meat is. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes progressively more tender as distance from "hoof and horn" increases. There are different systems of naming for cuts in America, Britain and France.

See the external links section below for links to more beef cut charts and diagrams.

 

American Primal cuts

 

 

 

American cuts of beef.

 

American cuts of beef.

The following is a list of the American primal cuts, ordered front to back, then top to bottom. The short loin and the sirloin are sometimes considered as one section.

Upper Half

Lower Half

British Primal cuts

 

British cuts of beef.

 

British cuts of beef.

Aging

Beef is typically aged between slaughter and market to allow natural enzymes to break down fibers and tenderize the meat. Until World War II, most beef was processed through dry aging, a costly process that imparts a distinctive beefy tang. Modern beef is more commonly wet aged in cryovac bags; this process makes for less waste, but creates a blander end product.

Special beef designations

Flag of Spain Spain;Carne de Ávila, Carne de Cantabria, Carne de la Sierra de Guadarrama, Carne de Morucha de Salamanca, Carne de Vacuno del País o Euskal Okela

Flag of France France; Taureau de Camargue, Boeuf charolais du Bourbonnais, Boeuf de Chalosse, Boeuf du Maine

Flag of Portugal Portugal;Carnalentejana ,Carne rouquesa, Carne Barrosã, Carne Cachena da Peneda, Carne da Charneca, Carne de Bovino Cruzado dos Lameiros do Barroso,Carne dos Açores, Carne Marinhoa, Carne Maronesa, Carne Mertolenga, Carne Mirandesa

Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom; Orkney Beef, Scotch Beef, Welsh Beef

 

 

 

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Milk&action=history

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