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In this article we will find out why cow meat is called beef.
The Russian language constantly poses amazing riddles. Often, the answers to many of them are connected not only with the origin of the word as a linguistic phenomenon, but also with the cultural and everyday traditions of both Russian and other peoples.
This also applies to the question of why cow meat is called “beef.” After all, even calf meat is “veal,” not to mention “pork,” “lamb,” and “chicken.” Why don't they say "cow meat"?
The meaning of the cow in the past
Where did the "beef" come from? “Korovyatiny” could not exist in the Russian language. Russian history shows that before the times of Peter the Great, cattle meat was not eaten at all, slaughterhouses did not exist, and for killing a cow, bull or calf you could pay with your life.
This historical fact is confirmed by the works of foreign travelers.
- The German diplomat Jacob Reitenfels, who lived in Russia from 1670 to 1673, in his book “The Tale of Muscovy” cites a legend about the brutal execution of the builders of the Vologda fortress. Suffering from hunger, they decided to take a desperate step - they killed and ate the calf. For this, Ivan the Terrible ordered them to be burned.
- The French captain Jacques Margeret in his literary and historical work “The State of the Russian State and the Grand Duchy of Moscow” testifies that in the 17th century, veal dishes were not prepared throughout the Russian state. He explains this fact by a religious prohibition.
- The German military mercenary Konrad Bussow, who served in Russia from 1601 to 1611, in the Moscow Chronicle talks about the wedding of False Dmitry I, who ordered veal to be cooked on the third day of the festive feast, which aroused great suspicion among the boyars about the truth of his origin, since Russian chefs have never prepared dishes from this meat.
Our Slavic ancestors believed that they descended from the god Veles, whose foremother was the Heavenly Cow. Therefore, Veles himself was depicted with the head of a bull, and they called him Veles Korovich. This is how Ivan the Cow's son appeared in Russian fairy tales.
In mythology, the cow was identified with such natural forces as the Sun, Moon, Night, Morning. A herd of cows are dense cumulus Clouds carrying Rain and a bountiful harvest. It was believed that the formidable natural element - Fire, which appeared from a lightning strike, could only be extinguished with cow's milk.
Our ancestors also believed that a kind and intelligent cow, if you sincerely approach it with a secret request, is capable of fulfilling it. Echoes of this legend are preserved in the fairy tales “Kroshechka-Khavroshechka” and “Burenushka”. The well-known children's song “Loaf Loaf” also has roots in the tradition of giving a baked figurine of a cow with wishes of happiness and prosperity for significant events in life. “Korovai” over time became “loaf”.
The “Milk River” with its banks of jelly is a fairy-tale dream of any peasant. It is in this country that life is satisfying and prosperous. And the Milky Way was considered the road to heaven.
In a peasant family, a cow was considered real wealth. It was necessarily part of the bride’s dowry, and in the most ancient wedding rites it was identified with her.
The cow is the main breadwinner, and the bull is the main draft force. In order for the cow to be healthy and give a lot of milk, many signs and customs were observed. She was carefully protected from evil spirits.
Even a sick or old animal could not be slaughtered; it was sold or given as a gift. It was believed that this would prolong his life.
It was allowed to slaughter a cow for meat in very rare cases: for a wedding, funeral or public event.
Our ancestors believed that a cow mourned the death of its owner, and often it accompanied him to his resting place. Sometimes, after the owner's funeral, the cow was given to a priest or poor person.
It was cow's milk that was the main food product along with bread. There is milk - there is also butter, cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese. Only a cow was able to feed a large peasant family. And now there is an expression “eat milk”, not “drink”.
The affectionate, respectful attitude towards the nursing cow has also been preserved to this day. Zorka, Nochka, Zvezdochka, Zhdanka, Pestrushka, Buryonka - meaningful names are chosen for a cow, as for a child. The ban on killing these animals existed not only in Slavic countries, but also in European countries, as well as in Egypt, Rome, Greece, Japan, and the Caucasus.
Until now, in some countries, such as India and Nepal, the cow is a sacred animal.
She is the mother of all living things. To offend, let alone kill “Gau Mata” - “Mother Cow” - is the most serious sin of all.
On the busiest streets of major cities, traffic stops if a cow walks onto the road. It is believed that whoever eats beef will suffer in hell for as many years as there are hairs on the body of a cow.
Cultural and historical traditions have changed over time. This process also affected gastronomic preferences. The meat of bulls, calves, and oxen gradually began to appear on the tables of the nobility, and then of the common people.
They began to call it “beef.” Etymological dictionaries attribute the origin of this word to the common Slavic govedo, meaning “cattle”. There are similar words in other languages.
This is Indo-European govs, Armenian - kov, English - cow. In Vladimir Dahl's dictionary, the word “beef” is interpreted as “taken from a bull.” Bulls and the entire herd of cattle were called “govedo”.
Beef cattle breeds have been developed relatively recently. Since they are raised exclusively for meat, both bulls and heifers are slaughtered. In Russia, the category of meat product depends little on the gender of the animal.
And in modern language there are no different names for the meat of cows and bulls; both are called “beef” in common, and the meat of young animals is “veal”.
This theory is closely intertwined with another, according to which in our language this word appeared from Sanskrit. “Go” in Sanskrit is a cow, and “vyada” is a deceased one, that is, literally translated “go-vyada” is a deceased cow. This is how, when studying the origin of just one word, one involuntarily has to turn to the history, culture, and religious beliefs of completely different peoples. Only on this basis can linguists draw any reliable conclusions.
How was the word “beef” formed?
Today, the word beef refers to several types of meat obtained from cattle. This is the meat of bulls, cows, oxen, calves. In the past, many Slavic languages used the word govedo, which was used to describe all cattle.
Accordingly, the meat of these animals was called beef. But in the XVIII-XIX centuries. the term was already used primarily for cow meat, which was very popular. Cattle were slaughtered in the fall in order to freeze the meat and prepare it for the whole winter ahead. It was also dried and salted, ensuring long-term storage, since the carcass of a bull weighs hundreds of kilograms.
Interesting fact: the root “gov”\”kov” is relevant for denoting bulls and cows among many peoples. The English call a cow cow, the Armenians call it kov, and so on.
In the dictionaries of Dahl and Krylov you can find the word “beef”, meaning a bull. If we 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. Why does foam form when cooking meat?
Eye muscle
In addition to marbled meat, there is another delicious variety of beef. Such a product is cut from the outer part of the rear cut. Dishes prepared from it have a crispy crust and are very tasty and aromatic.
It is believed that roasting and braising are the best ways to use the eye muscle portion of beef. Why is this type of meat called this? The eye muscle is a truly unusual and colorful expression. Something that immediately comes to mind is taken from the front of a cow's head. But such a delicacy is called this way not at all because it has anything to do with the eyes of the animal. The shape of this beef is somewhat oblong, oval. This, in fact, is where its name came from.
Is the old name for bulls still used today?
In Russia, the word “beef” has not been used for several centuries, but it has been preserved in other Slavic languages; it appears today in the Czech and Bulgarian languages, and is also found in Slovenian and Serbian. But it often means not a cow, but a bull.
This is logical, since in the past, mainly male bulls and calves were used for meat, while cows were left for milk. Slaughtering them was blasphemous and wasteful; this only happened in very difficult times or when the animal was ill.
Interesting fact: the word “cow” also has ancient roots in Slavic languages, but it has remained virtually unchanged to this day. The female animal was called a cow, while the male was called beef.
Meat of other varieties
Beef of the first category is, first of all, very well developed muscle tissue. This product contains quite a large amount of fatty deposits. The only exception in this regard is the meat of very young bulls and cows.
A distinctive feature of second grade beef is that it is not very well developed muscle mass. This product contains little fat. Skinny beef is of very low quality. It is mainly used only for industrial purposes.
Features of culinary dictionaries
Some time ago, beef meant bovine meat, because... queens were kept only for milk production. The cow-breadwinner was allowed under the knife only if truly difficult times came and people were in danger of dying from starvation.
In the modern world, the situation is somewhat different, and meat products from cows are not used for food very often, but the name beef remains in everyday use. In our country, when producing meat, there is no separation of cattle by sex, and therefore the name of the product is the same.
In European countries, meat obtained from cows or oxen is classified as second-class, and is practically not used for the preparation of various words.
By “veal” we mean meat products produced by young animals; it is considered to be of higher quality. European chefs do not use the term “beef”. All kinds of steaks or other meat dishes are prepared from veal or bovine meat.
Taste characteristics of beef
Today, beef is considered a dietary meat, valued for its beneficial properties and taste. It is also distinguished by the age of the animal and the degree of freshness of the meat.
As we have already said, beef can be dairy, young or old. And the meat is fresh or frozen.
Old steamed beef is distinguished by the dark red color of the meat. Of course, in terms of taste it is somewhat inferior to dairy calf, but in general it is a dietary product. The same can be said about frozen beef.
Let’s say right away that the most valuable thing is fresh dairy veal. Fresh meat is meat that is used within twelve hours after the animal is slaughtered. It has a characteristic milky smell, bright red color, and is characterized by good elasticity and moisture.
Frozen veal does not lose its quality after freezing; on the contrary, its meat becomes a little softer, but it will take much more time to cook.
Classification
Cooking divides beef into several types, which depend on the age characteristics of the animals:
- young calves (14 – 90 days) produce dairy meat;
- representatives (90 – 1000 days) produce young meat;
- Cattle (over 1000 days) – directly beef. Next comes the division into categories: Category I – back, brisket, loin, sirloin, rump, rump;
- Category II – shoulder blades, shoulders, flank;
- Category III – cut, shanks of both limbs.
Health benefits of veal
Veal is considered a dietary meat; it has not only excellent taste, but also a rich range of nutrients. It is easily digestible. This lean meat, which is recommended for baby food, can be offered to people with gastrointestinal and metabolic problems.
Beef is also a rich source of protein, iron, and other beneficial substances. This meat is healthier and preferable to pork.
Thus, the meat of bulls and cows is called beef historically; this word was formed as a derivative of “beef” - this is how bulls were called in Rus' several centuries ago.
Today this word is not in the Russian language, but there are derivatives from it. In other Slavic languages, the bull is still called as in the old days.
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 layers of fat. In appearance it resembles a well-known ornamental stone. This is where its original name came from.
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 consider this product to be almost medicinal. For example, many believe that eating marbled meat reduces the risk of developing cancer.
