Why is beef called beef? Features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 20:55

As you know, the meat of a pig is called pork, chicken is called chicken, sheep is called lamb, etc. Therefore, the word "beef" confuses some people. Why does the word sound like this? Why is beef called beef and not "cow"?

Cattle in antiquity

Our Slavic ancestors, as you know, were engaged in animal husbandry thousands of years ago. And once upon a time, cows and bulls were called the word “beef”, which is not too familiar to the ear of a modern person. Literally, it was translated as cattle. And, of course, the meat of such domestic animals was called beef. Nobody uses the word "beef" now. Its derivative, meaning cattle meat, has survived in the language to our time.

In terms of the origin of the word "beef" itself, some ethnologists put forward a rather interesting version. Such a hypothesis really exists, and we, of course, cannot fail to note it. The fact is that in "beef" one can quite clearly hearconsonance with the modern word for feces. So, some researchers believe that cows were once called that precisely because of the large “cakes” they leave everywhere.

Why meat is called beef: Indo-European roots

There is another version regarding the origin of the word "beef" (or govedo). Some researchers believe that this ancient noun is not only of Old Slavonic origin, but even Indo-European. And they have pretty good reasons to think so.

The word govedo, which is the answer to the question of why beef is called beef, is very similar to the word govs, once used by the Indo-Europeans. Words consonant with govs are still preserved in the languages of many peoples of the Northern Hemisphere. For example, cow in English and kov in Armenian mean "cow".

Why is beef called beef: Dahl's dictionary

As you know, in ancient times, gobies were most often used for meat. Cows were usually kept only for milk. Therefore, they could live on the farm for many years. Bulls were slaughtered as soon as they gained enough weight. Dahl's dictionary states that "beef" is cattle. But at the same time, the emphasis is on the bulls. That is, according to Dahl, it turns out that “beef” literally means “meat taken from a bull.”

Today, cows in Russia are also kept mainly for milk. Female cattle are slaughtered only when, due to age, it loses productivity. However, at present, in our country there are also farmers who breed cattle not for dairy, butspecifically meat breeds. In such farms, after gaining the desired weight, both bulls and cows can be slaughtered. After all, animals are kept in this case not for the sake of milk.

That is, on the shelves of shops these days you can find both meat from cows and bulls. At the same time, in both cases, it will be called beef. That is, if Dahl was compiling his dictionary today, he might not have focused only on bulls.

Synonyms

So, why beef is called beef is more or less clear. The origin of this word, therefore, is quite ancient. Most likely, cow meat has been called in this way in our country for more than one millennium. But this word also has a modern synonym.

The name "korovina", of course, we do not use today. However, in Russian there is a very well-known word "veal". It denotes the high-grade meat of very young cattle - both bulls and heifers.

European traditions

So we figured out why cow meat is called beef. Actually, this word itself in our time has a distribution mainly only in Russia. In Europe, for example, the meat of cows and bulls is considered second-rate and is rarely eaten. In countries of the Northern Hemisphere richer than the Russian Federation, veal is cooked much more often in restaurants and canteens. European chefs do not use the word "beef" at all. Used to prepare all kinds of dishes, they call parts of the carcass of cattle or"veal" or, in extreme cases, "bull meat".

Classification in cooking

The word "beef" and "veal" are thus almost synonymous. However, the corresponding products are not exactly identical. In cooking, cattle meat is classified as follows:

• dairy veal - meat obtained from cows and bulls aged 2 weeks to 3 months;
• young beef - from calves raised on the farm to slaughter from 3 months to 3 years;
• beef itself - meat obtained from cattle over the age of 3 years.

Varieties by variety

Among other things, all the beef available on the market today is divided into product:

• top grade (marble);
• first category;
• second category;
• skinny.

The most delicious meat

Why is marbled beef called that? The meat of this variety consists not only of muscle tissue itself, but also of many fatty layers. In appearance, it resembles a well-known ornamental stone. Hence its original name.

In cooking, marbled beef is considered a delicacy. It is from it that the most delicious and juicy goulash, steaks, etc. are prepared. Some people even refer to this product as almost healing. For example, many believe that eating marbled meat reduces the risk of developing cancer.

Howfeed cows to get marbled beef

Farmers sell meat of this category, of course, at a very high price. However, raising cows to produce marbled beef is a rather complicated matter. In order for the final product to contain a large amount of fatty streaks, farmers have to use a special scheme for feeding animals. And this, of course, significantly increases the cost of maintenance.

Streaks are formed in the meat due to the fact that cows are given very high-calorie food at certain periods of time and somewhat restrict their movement, not letting them out of the stall.

The breeds of calves for such fattening are chosen very carefully. Most often, Herefords are grown to obtain marbled meat. But sometimes farmers choose calves and other meat breeds for this purpose. Dairy cattle, of course, are not used to produce marbled beef. In Russia, it is beef cattle that are rarely bred. Therefore, the marble product is rarely found on the shelves.

Meat of other varieties

Beef of the first category is, first of all, very well-developed muscle tissue. The composition of such a product includes a rather large amount of body fat. An exception in this regard can only be the meat of very young bulls and cows.

The hallmark of second grade beef is that it is not very well developed muscle mass. There is little fat in this product. Skinny beef is of very poor quality. It is mainly used for industrial purposes.

Using different parts of the carcass in cooking

The answer to the question of why cow meat is called beef is simple. This word comes from the ancient name of the cattle itself. There are many varieties of such a product. But beef can also differ by what part of the carcass it was taken from.

For stewing in cooking can be used, for example:

• butt, neck;
• back part.

For cooking, cooks can take:

• shoulder, rump and flank;
• back, brisket, ribs, shank.

Used for frying:

• thin edge;
• sacrum;
• neck, butt.

Where exactly these parts are located in the carcass can be seen in the diagram below.

Ocular muscle

Besides marbled meat, there is another delicious variety of beef. Such a product is cut from the outer part of the back cut. Dishes prepared from it have a crispy crust and are very tasty and fragrant.

It is believed that roasting and stewing are the best ways to use the eye muscle part of the beef. Why is this type of meat so called? The eye muscle is a really unusual and colorful expression. Something immediately comes to mindtaken from the front of a cow's head. But such a delicacy is called in this way not at all because it has something to do with the eyes of an animal. The shape of such beef is somewhat oblong, oval. Hence, in fact, its name came from.

Cowhide

So we figured out why beef is called beef. This word comes from the ancient govedo and has Indo-European roots. First of all, this is the name, of course, of the product obtained from cows and bulls. However, meat can also be considered beef:

• oxen;
• buffaloes;
• sarlykov.

And there is nothing surprising in this, of course. After all, all these animals are precisely cattle - in Old Slavonic "beef".