Beef

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

However, eating too much beef, especially processed beef, has been linked to health risks such as colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease. Beef also has a big impact on the environment. It plays a major role in deforestation and produces more greenhouse gas emissions than any other agricultural product.

A raw rib roast

Long ago, humans hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since then, people have bred many different cattle breeds for better meat quality or quantity. Today, beef is the third most popular meat in the world, after pork and poultry. As of 2018, the United States, Brazil, and China were the top beef-producing countries.

Some religions and cultures do not allow beef consumption. For example, Indian religions like Hinduism prohibit it, and Buddhists generally oppose animal slaughter, though they do not have a rule against eating meat.

Etymology

The word beef comes from the Latin word bōs, which is different from the word cow, coming from Middle English cou. This shows a pattern in English where the names of animals often come from Germanic roots, while the 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 prehistoric times. The aurochs, the wild ancestor of modern cattle, was hunted and eaten by ancient humans, including Neanderthals. Some of the earliest cave paintings show aurochs in hunting scenes.

Cattle were later domesticated to provide a steady supply of beef, milk, and leather. Domestication 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 with the expansion into the Southwest after the Mexican–American War of 1848. Cities like Chicago and New York became important centers for beef markets.

Production

Beef cattle are raised and fed using different methods, such as 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 greenhouse gases, which can warm the planet. Raising cattle also sometimes leads to cutting down forests, especially in places like the Amazon. Some scientists are studying ways to reduce these effects, like feeding cattle special seaweed.

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

In 2018, the United States, Brazil, and China produced the most beef. Brazil, Australia, the United States, India, and Argentina were the top beef exporters in 2020. The world produced about 60.57 million metric tons of beef that year.

Mean greenhouse gas emissions for different food types
Food Types	Greenhouse Gas Emissions (g CO2-Ceq per g protein)
Ruminant Meat	62
Recirculating Aquaculture	30
Trawling Fishery	26
Non-recirculating Aquaculture	12
Pork	10
Poultry	10
Dairy	9.1
Non-trawling fishery	8.6
Eggs	6.8
Starchy Roots	1.7
Wheat	1.2
Maize	1.2
Legumes	0.25

Mean land use of different foods
Food Types	Land Use (m²year per 100g protein)
Lamb and Mutton	185
Beef	164
Cheese	41
Pork	11
Poultry	7.1
Eggs	5.7
Farmed Fish	3.7
Groundnuts	3.5
Peas	3.4
Tofu	2.2

Beef exports, including Cow meat and buffalo meat, in metric tons
Rank	Country	2020	% of the World	Country	2016	% of the World
1	Brazil	2,539,000	23.50	Brazil	1,850,000	19.60
2	Australia	1,476,000	13.66	India	1,850,000	19.60
3	United States	1,341,000	12.41	Australia	1,385,000	14.67
4	India	1,284,000	11.88	United States	1,120,000	11.87
5	Argentina	819,000	7.58	New Zealand	580,000	6.14

Beef production (1000 Metric Tons CWE)
Rank	Country	2009	2010	% Chg	Country	2019	2020	Change	%Chg
1	United States	11,889	11,789	−0.8	United States	12,384	12,379	-5,000	-0.04
2	Brazil	8,935	9,300	4	Brazil	10,200	10,100	-100,000	-1
3	EU-27	7,970	7,920	−0.6	EU-27	7,878	7,810	-68,000	-0.9
4	China	5,764	5,550	−4	China	6,670	6,720	50,000	0.8
5	Argentina	3,400	2,800	−18	India	4,270	3,760	-510,000	-12
6	India	2,610	2,760	6	Argentina	3,125	3,230	105,000	3
7	Australia	2,100	2,075	−1	Australia	2,432	2,123	-309,000	-12
8	Mexico	1,700	1,735	2	Mexico	2,027	2,079	52,000	3%
9	Russia	1,285	1,260	−2	Pakistan	1,820	1,820	NIL	NIL
10	Pakistan	1,226	1,250	2	Russia	1,374	1,378	4,000	0.3

Rank	Country	2009	2010	% Chg
1	India	57,960	58,300	0.6
2	Brazil	49,150	49,400	0.5
3	China	42,572	41,000	−4
4	United States	35,819	35,300	−1.4
5	EU	30,400	30,150	−0.8
6	Argentina	12,300	13,200	7
7	Australia	9,213	10,158	10
8	Russia	7,010	6,970	−0.6
9	Mexico	6,775	6,797	0.3
10	Colombia	5,675	5,675	0.0

Preparation

Cuts

Main article: Cut of beef

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

Most beef can be used by cutting it into different parts, such as roasts, short ribs, or steak like filet mignon, sirloin steak, and rib steak. Some cuts are processed, like corned beef or beef jerky. Trimmings from older cattle are often ground or minced for use in sausages. Other parts of the cow, such as oxtail, liver, and tongue, are also eaten. The bones can be used to make beef stock. Meat from young calves is called veal.

Beef is first divided into large pieces called primal cuts. These are the basic sections from which smaller steaks and other cuts are made. Different countries and cuisines 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 controlled environment (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.

Some people enjoy eating raw beef dishes, such as steak tartare, which is made from finely chopped raw beef mixed with seasonings and sometimes raw egg yolk.

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 preserve it 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 consumed meat in the world, making up about 25% of all meat eaten. It is eaten less often than pork and poultry, which are the top two meats.

Beef is a good source of important nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. However, it also contains a lot of saturated fat. Some studies suggest that eating a lot of red meat might increase the risk of certain health issues, such as cancer and heart disease.

Restrictions

Religious and cultural prohibitions

Main article: Cattle in religion and mythology

Many religions and cultures have special rules about eating beef. For example, in India, most people do not eat beef because cows are considered sacred in Hinduism and other religions. Cows are important for providing milk, helping with farming, and many families respect them for these reasons.

Some other groups, like ancient Egyptian priests, 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 also have specific rules about how animals must be prepared before they can be eaten.

Legal prohibition

A pamphlet against the practice of cow slaughter

India

Main article: Cattle slaughter in India

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

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. Later, in 2021, the rules were changed a little to allow some cow killing if certain conditions were met.