Lamb meat is called lamb, chicken meat - chicken, pigs - pork. Where did this word come from - beef, and why is the meat of bulls, cows so named? Why has not formed a more logical name on the same principle as for all other types of meat?
Indeed, no one calls beef “cow meat” or “beef”. But to understand the origin of the existing and used name is not difficult.
How did the word “beef” form?
Today, the word beef refers to several varieties of meat obtained from cattle. This is the meat of bulls, cows, oxen, calves. In the past, in many Slavic languages, the word govedo was used, which called all cattle. Accordingly, the meat of these animals was called beef. But in the XVIII — XIX centuries. the term was used predominantly for cow meat, which was very popular. Cattle were slaughtered in the fall to freeze meat and harvest it for the whole winter ahead. He was also dried, salted, providing long-term storage, because the carcass of a bull weighs hundreds of kilograms.
Interesting fact: the root of “gov” ”kov” is relevant for the designation of bulls and cows in many nations. The British call the cow cow, the Armenians - kov, and so on.
In the dictionaries of Dahl, Krylov, you can find the word “beef”, meaning bull. If you keep in mind the existence of such a word, everything becomes natural.The word “beef” was formed in the same way as “lamb”, “horse meat”, and others.
Is the old bull name used today?
In Russia, the word “beef” has not been used for several centuries, however, it has been preserved in other Slavic languages, it appears today in Czech, Bulgarian, also found in Slovenian and Serbian. But it often means not a cow, namely a bull.
This is natural, since in the past mainly male bulls and calves went for meat, while cows were left for milk. To slaughter them was blasphemous and wasteful, this happened only in a very hungry time or with an animal disease.
Interesting fact: the word “cow” also has ancient roots in Slavic languages, but it has not changed much to this day. The cow was called the female animal, the male was called beef.
Designating meat as beef today
Today, the word beef means the meat of both a cow and a bull or a calf; no distinction is made here. Beef can come from any breed of animal. Young meat is often called veal, emphasizing its higher quality.
Veal is usually more expensive, because the meat of young animals of this species is tender, nutritious. Dishes from it are tastier. But veal is a Russian culinary term; there is no analogue in European cuisine.
As in the past, today beef is mainly bull meat, especially when it comes to first-class meat.Traditionally, bulls continue to be raised for meat, and cows for milk, but this is not the only point. The meat of bulls is juicier, it is not much inferior to veal.
The meat of cows and oxen is considered the least quality, it is usually considered as second-class, it is on sale less often. Cows are not able to gain such muscle mass as bulls, they spend a lot of nutrients from the body on milk production, gestation and feeding of calves.
Although there are specially bred meat breeds where animals of both sexes are raised for meat, as the milk yield of these breeds is low. They do not make sense to keep for the sake of milk. In contrast, there are dairy breeds of cows, in this case the gobies are sent for meat, and heifers are grown for milk production.
Considering veal, it should be noted that it can also be divided into categories, although meat sellers do not always note this. There is dairy veal obtained from calves at the age of 2 weeks - 3 months. And there is young beef, or just veal - from animals aged 3 months - 3 years.
If the animal was more than 3 years old, we are talking about ordinary beef. Any beef also belongs to one of three varieties - depending on the part of the carcass from which the piece was taken. First-class beef is fillet, rump, rump, rump, chest and back. The flank, shoulder and scapular parts are second-class meat. Third-grade beef is shanks, a cut.
Veal Utility
Veal is considered a dietary meat, it has not only excellent taste, but also a rich selection of healthy substances. It is easily digested.This lean meat, which is recommended for baby food, can be offered to people with gastrointestinal problems, metabolism. Beef is also a rich source of protein, iron, and other beneficial substances. This meat is healthier and more preferable than pork.
Thus, the meat of bulls and cows is called beef historically, this word was formed as a derivative of “beef” - so several centuries ago in Russia bulls were called. Today this word is not in the Russian language, but there are derivatives from it. In other Slavic languages, the bull is still referred to as in the old days.
