Meat is one of the most cooked and preferred foods by many people. Most people tend to like meat, but there is a lot of ignorance when it comes to understanding the difference between the different types of meat that exist.
We already saw the difference between deer meat and veal, but do you know what difference there is between veal, cow and ox?
When buying, each person has their own tastes in terms of flavor, texture and color of the meat and we usually fill the pantries based on those tastes. However, it is interesting to know the differences between the types of meat in order to taste that dish with more knowledge.
Beyond the prices and the visual image that comes to us from the meats when we see them placed on the counters, there are other factors that directly influence the classification of their meat, and that experts use to differentiate and sell them.
What types of meat can we find
Although when it comes to buying meat, those who have little experience in the world of gastronomy can pay more attention to how the meat looks, or even the price, when buying it, experts take into account account other factors such as age to offer dishes with more flavor.
Depending on the age of the animal, different types of meat can be distinguished, with their own characteristics that make them unique.
Veal
Veal meat is, perhaps, the best known by all and the most used in home kitchens due to its price, mild flavor and ease of cooking.
Taking into account the maturation age of the animal, it can be classified into different types.
suckling calf When the animal is less than 8 months old and is still fed with the mother’s milk. Suckling meat has a delicate flavor and is low in fat, which makes it an ideal meat for use in diets.
Veal. To give this designation the animal must be in the first year of age. Its meat has a little more flavor because it has a little more fat but it is still soft and easy to digest.
yearling calf Until reaching 2 years of age, the calf is known as a yearling. As it matures, the meat has more fat, and its red color is accentuated. Yearling beef is among the favorite options for consumers.
Cow meat
Unlike beef, which can be male or female, beef comes from the female.
She is she has already left the stage in which she was fed with mother’s milk, and she eats from pastures or feed.
Cow meat is called the female that is in the fertile season, from four years of age.
The color of this type of meat is darker, and it has a lot of flavor thanks to the yellow fat it has. Although it is less soft in the mouth, its nutritional contribution is greater.
It has begun to refer to her meat as “old cow” when the cow passes five years of age.
Beef
Ox meat is one of the most precious in the kitchen, and the one that usually has a higher price in the market.
To be able to say that it is beef, the animal must be over 4 years old and a fundamental characteristic is that it must be castrated.
The fat of this animal is yellow in color and has a very characteristic flavor, strong and with personality that makes it a delicatessen.
Because the field work has been mechanized, it is more difficult to find the typical image of oxen plowing.
This makes raising oxen to be used later to sell their meat a little more difficult for their owners. This is one of the reasons why the price of its meat may be higher.
Deer meat, as we have seen on other occasions, is a darker meat and less known to the general public, but it provides even more nutrients for the body.
In addition, it is a much less greasy meat that makes it an ideal option in diets in which weight loss is sought.
It must also be taken into account that, being a wild animal that is not raised on farms, the deer’s diet throughout its life is completely natural and not based on feed, which considerably improves its nutritional contribution.
Essential differences between types of meat
To really know the types of meat that we have before us when we go to the butcher shop, it is important to have knowledge about the factors that make each meat different.
For it to be beef, the animal must be castrated and be over 48 months old.
Ox meat has a very strong flavor, which is why there are people who prefer another type of meat such as veal.
Both beef and cow meat can have yellow fat, the difference between the two is that the beef comes from the female and the beef comes from a castrated male.
Veal tends to have a milder flavor and is easier to tolerate, especially for novice palates.
Beef has a higher protein and mineral content.
Price is one of the factors that most influence consumers. Ox meat is usually more expensive than cow or veal.
Deer meat is the one with the strongest flavor as it comes from an animal with more developed muscles, so it is also the lowest in fat and the one with the most complete nutritional contribution.
Now you know the differences between veal, cow, ox and deer meat.
