Falstaff Magazin International 00/2021

food / BEEF BREEDS

food / BEEF BREEDS Sirloin, rib-eye, rump or fillet? How do you like your steak? Medium or medium-rare? Perhaps the more important question is: which is your preferred breed? Lovers of good food know that provenance matters. The mantra which dictates that great food relies as much on the quality of the raw ingredients as the skills of the chef, is as true as ever. Beef has played a role in the human diet for thousands of years: cattle have been domesticated since around 10,000 BC. Beef is the third most widely consumed meat in the world after pork and poultry, accounting for 25% of worldwide meat production. That’s a whole lot of bovine love. There are key aspects that determine how the meat ends up tasting when it lands on your plate: what the animals feed on, namely grass or grain, how they are raised, WHAT MATTERS IS THE DIFFERENT BREEDS‘ DISTRIBUTION OF INTRAMUSCULAR FAT, NAMELY THE MARBLING WE PRIZE SO MUCH. and how old they are at slaughter. Then there is the time allowed for hanging, a process that tenderises and enhances flavour. All this applies to all cattle – but then there are the genetics and intrinsic qualities of different beef breeds. Each breed has its history and certain dispositions: how fast they can grow to maturity, their hardiness to the weather and resistance to certain diseases. What matters when it comes to eating beef, is the different breeds’ distribution of intramuscular fat, namely the marbling we prize so much. Much of it evolves during the later stages of growth and contributes greatly to the tenderness of the meat and its flavour. Fat distribution forms the basis for the American USDA system of grading: higher levels of marbling achieve a higher grade and price. Depending on where in the world you are, you will come across different breeds on menus and pastures – they matter. LIMOUSIN The cave drawings in the Lascaux Caves near Montignac, France, estimated to be 20,000 years old, are of cattle thought to be related to today’s Limousin breed. Revered by top chefs across the world for its strong beefy flavour, Limousin meat has a relatively low proportion of bone and fat and is valued for its high yield of quality < The animals depicted in the 20,000-yearold drawings in the Lascaux Caves in France are thought to be precursors of the Limousin breed. Photos: Shutterstock 92 falstaff summer 2021

Hanging beef, i.e. ageing it in the correct conditions, both tenderises the meat and enhances its flavour. summer 2021 falstaff 93