Are you ready for a patio cookout with family and friends? With the relaxation of mask wearing, we are beginning to feel like humans again; we can be social and have some camaraderie. Let’s barbecue some burgers or steaks — and how about some corn on the cob? Potato salad or macaroni salad and strawberry pie for dessert are highlights of my menu.
While living in New Mexico for some time in the mid-2010s, I became very conscious of buying meat for the outdoor grill. I did not always get beef. One day, I went to the butcher with the intent of getting lamb chops for a cookout. So I asked for a number of lamb chops in addition to the beef.
“Lady, we don’t cotton to that kind of meat, and we don’t carry ‘meat on a stick.’ How about some T-bones or some lean ground beef for the elderly folk?” the butcher replied. I guess we were too close to Texas beef, and no butcher would “cotton” to anything else.
Many of us think of Texas when we talk about beef. However, beef cattle are bred throughout the United States in very scientific environments with regard to local conditions and even the food preferences of the area. The best-known breeds of cattle used for food in this country are Shorthorn and Hereford, both originally from England. Aberdeen Angus from Scotland and the Brahman, bred especially for warm climates, also grace our barbecues.
Long before written records were kept, humans used cattle for food. The interesting paintings of great horned bulls in the prehistoric Lascaux caves in southwestern France show the high regard humans had for these animals. No one knows when cattle were domesticated — probably in prehistoric times.
The Neolithic Swiss lake dwellings of more than 3,000 years ago show evidence of domesticated cattle. Some historians say that before that time, humans must have followed herds of cattle, just as our Plains Indians followed the buffalo.
Since early times, animals were not only sources of food, but also objects of worship. Eating the flesh of animals offered to the gods supposedly gave humans divine strength. Although the farmers resisted eating their farm animals, beef was too tasty to resist.
Cattle raising was practiced all over Europe. Alexander the Great added to his beef stock by importing 2,000 Indian cattle. The Romans took their cattle north with them as they conquered France. Our barbecues probably originated at that time. The word “steak” comes from two Old Norse words meaning “to roast on a spit.” By the Middle Ages a man’s wealth was measured by what he possessed; a large herd of cattle became a considerable status symbol.
By the 1600s, England emerged as the European country noted for its beef. However, the French named the cut of beef over the loin from the French “sur,” meaning above. Around 1600, the English King James, upon seeing a large loin of beef placed in front of him, drew his sword and knighted the perfectly browned roast. Hence: Sirloin. When an Englishman spoke of meat, he meant beef.
It is a curious fact of history that there were no cattle native to North or South America. The buffalo, common to the land when the first settlers arrived, is the closet relative to the early wild cattle of Europe and Asia. Shiploads of cattle, along with other supplies from Europe were brought into the original colonies. Cattle imported into the Southwest developed into the Texas Longhorn. Although they are now almost extinct, they were once the basis of most Texas ranches.
However, the American contribution to the beef picture is the “porterhouse” steak. Around 1814, restaurants lined the New York waterfront catering to ships crews and travelers. Since a meal and a glass of ale or porter was the fare, such places were referred to as “porterhouses.”
A Mr. Martin Morrison ran such a porterhouse that became noted for steaks. Caught short one evening, Morrison was forced to slice a steak for a favorite customer from what was to be his family’s dinner roast. He customer was so pleased with his steak cut from the short loin that he ordered another. Thereafter, he always demanded such a cut. Others followed — and the porterhouse was born.
In 1854, the editors of Harper’s Weekly magazine concluded that America’s favorite food was steak.
Modern breeds of beef have greatly improved over the years. Two hundred years ago, beef cattle still looked like the utility work animals of the past. Today’s beef cattle are short-legged, compact animals with wide loins and quarters.
However, Americans do not consume all this beef in steaks. There is also hamburger.
June 02, 2021 at 05:00AM
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Hilde Lee: America's love of beef was thousands of years in the making - The Daily Progress
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