Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (Bos taurus). It can be cooked in many ways. Different pieces of beef are often used for steak, which can be cooked to different levels of doneness. Trimmings are often ground or minced, like in most hamburgers. Beef gives us important nutrients like protein, iron, and vitamin B12.

Eating too much beef, especially processed beef, can be bad for health. It has been linked to health problems such as colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease. Beef also affects the environment. It plays a part in deforestation and creates more greenhouse gas emissions than many other farm products.

A raw rib roast

Long ago, humans hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since then, people have raised many kinds of cattle for better meat. Today, beef is the third most popular meat in the world, after pork and poultry. The United States, Brazil, and China are the top beef-producing countries.

Some religions and cultures do not eat beef. For example, Indian religions like Hinduism do not allow it, and Buddhists usually do not support animal slaughter, though they do not have a rule against eating meat.

Etymology

The word beef comes from the Latin word bōs. It is different from the word cow, which comes from Middle English cou. This shows a pattern in English. Names of animals often come from Germanic roots, while words for their meat come from Romanic roots. Examples include pig/pork, deer/venison, sheep/mutton, and chicken/poultry. The word beef is related to the word bovine through the Late Latin bovīnus. The rare plural form of beef is beeves.

Main article: Indo-European
Main articles: Germanic, Romanic
cognate
Late Latin

History

People have eaten beef since ancient times. The aurochs, the wild ancestor of modern cattle, was hunted and eaten by early humans. Some of the oldest cave paintings show aurochs in hunting scenes.

Cattle were later tamed to give a steady supply of beef, milk, and leather. This happened at least twice—once around 10,500 years ago in Bos taurus, and again around 7,000 years ago in the Indian subcontinent with Bos indicus. In the United States, the beef industry grew as people moved into the Southwest after the Mexican–American War of 1848. Cities like Chicago and New York became important places for beef markets.

Production

Beef cattle are raised in different ways, such as in feedlots, free range, ranching, backgrounding, and intensive animal farming. In the United States, many cattle are raised in places called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), also known as factory farms. These farms are very common and provide most of the beef in the country.

Beef production can affect the environment. It uses a lot of land and water, and it creates gases that can warm the planet. Raising cattle sometimes leads to cutting down forests, especially in places like the Amazon. Some scientists are looking for ways to reduce these effects, like feeding cattle special seaweed.

Some kinds of beef have special labels based on where the cattle are from or how they are treated. Examples include Kobe beef, organic beef, and Kosher beef.

Preparation

Cuts

Main article: Cut of beef

A poster at a butcher's shop denoting the various ways beef can be cut.

Most beef is cut into different pieces, such as roasts, short ribs, or steak like filet mignon, sirloin steak, and rib steak. Some cuts are special, like corned beef or beef jerky. Parts from older cattle are often ground or minced for sausages. Other parts of the cow, such as oxtail, liver, and tongue, are also eaten. Bones can be used to make beef stock. Meat from young calves is called veal.

Beef is first divided into big pieces called primal cuts. These are the main parts from which smaller steaks and other cuts are made. Different countries and kitchens have different names for their cuts of beef.

Aging and tenderization

Roast beef

To make beef more tender, it is often aged, or stored in a refrigerator, so that natural enzymes can soften the meat. This can be done using vacuum packaging (wet aging) or by hanging the meat in a special place (dry aging). Aging can improve the flavor and tenderness of the beef.

Cooking methods

Beef rump steak on grill pan, cooked medium rare

Beef can be cooked in many ways. It can be cooked to different levels of doneness, from very rare to well done, and methods include broiling, roasting, frying, and grilling. Some tougher cuts of beef are best cooked using moist heat methods like braising, pot roasting, and stewing, which help to break down the meat.

Cured and smoked beef products, like bresaola, beef jerky, and pastrami, are also popular. These are made by drying, salting, and sometimes smoking the beef to keep it safe to eat and add flavor.

Method	Description
Grilling	Cooking the beef over or under a high radiant heat source, generally in excess of 340 °C (650 °F). This leads to searing of the surface of the beef, which creates a flavorsome crust. In Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany and The Netherlands, grilling, particularly over charcoal, is sometimes known as barbecuing, often shortened to "BBQ". When cooked over charcoal, this method can also be called charbroiling.
Smoking	A technique of cooking that involves cooking meat for long periods of time at low temperatures with smoke from a wood fire.
Broiling	A term used in North America. It is similar to grilling, but with the heat source always above the meat. Elsewhere this is considered a way of grilling.
Griddle	Meat may be cooked on a hot metal griddle. A little oil or fat may be added to inhibit sticking; the dividing line when the method becomes shallow frying is not well-defined.
Roasting	A way of cooking meat in a hot oven, producing roast beef. Liquid is not usually added; the beef may be basted by fat on the top, or by spooning hot fat from the oven pan over the top. A gravy may be made from the cooking juices, after skimming off excess fat. Roasting is suitable for thicker pieces of meat; the other methods listed are usually for steaks and similar cuts.

Consumption

Beef is the third most widely eaten meat in the world. It makes up about 25% of all meat people eat. It is eaten less often than pork and poultry.

Beef gives you important nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. But it also has a lot of saturated fat. Some studies say that eating a lot of red meat might affect health.

Restrictions

Religious and cultural prohibitions

Main article: Cattle in religion and mythology

Many religions and cultures have special rules about eating beef. In India, most people do not eat beef because cows are considered sacred. Cows are important for giving milk and helping with farming, and many families respect them.

Some other groups also chose not to eat beef for religious reasons. During certain times of the year, like Lent, some Christians avoid meat, including beef. Jewish and Muslim dietary laws have rules about how animals must be prepared before they can be eaten.

Legal prohibition

India

Main article: Cattle slaughter in India

In India, many states have laws that prevent the killing of cows and eating beef because of religious beliefs. These laws help protect cows, which are important to many people. There are also strict rules about exporting beef.

Nepal

In Nepal, cows are the national animal, and it is against the law to kill them.

Cuba

In 2003, Cuba stopped allowing people to kill cows because there wasn’t enough milk. In 2021, the rules changed a little to allow some cow killing if certain conditions were met.