Transcript MEAT: Overview - The Beacon School

MEAT: Overview
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Most prized food substance in most cultures.
Meat eating probably started as scavenging
in our hominid ancestors ~3mya.
Animal flesh and bone marrow are more
concentrated sources of nutrition and protein
than almost any plant material.
Mobile food source that can be accessed
year round (many plants are unavailable in
winter, etc.)
Meat: Cultural
Significance
Meat: Cultural Significance
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‘The Hunt’ has been an important cultural rite
for ~100,000 years.
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Evidenced by cave art/paintings, rock glyphs,
songs, lore, etc.
Usually followed by feast, celebration; provides
reinforcement of social connections and hierarchy.
Meat is still the centerpiece of many meals,
particularly celebrations.
Meat: taboos against
Meat: taboos against
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Meat is also widely reviled in certain cultural
groups.
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Unlike other foods meat requires the slaughter of
sentient life.
How to condone slaughter while maintaining
humaneness?
How to rectify our biology (we are
omnivorous by design) with mental
constructs/culture?
Meat: Changes over time
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Meat of today (factory farmed) is produced
from younger and leaner animals.
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Quality has probably deteriorated over time
Meat of today, cooked with traditional methods, is
likely to end up dry and flavorless.
Range of meats usually seen on plates is much
reduced from antiquity.
Manner in which animals are raised has changed
significantly over time.
Meat: What exactly are we
eating
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Meat includes body tissue of an animal.
Animals defined by ability to move (root of
word means ‘to breathe’).
We usually distinguish between:
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‘Meat proper’ – muscle tissue (originally used by
the animal for locomotion)
Offal – organ tissue (liver, kidney, heart, stomach,
etc.)
Muscle structure
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Muscle divided into 3 categories:
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Smooth – blood vessels, stomach, intestine
Cardiac – heart
Skeletal – voluntary muscles (bulk of consumed
meat)
A piece of meat is composed of one of more
muscles  muscle fibers  myofibrils 
myofilaments of actin & myosin.
Meat: Muscle fibers and other
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A piece of meat for human consumption will
include:
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~75% water (explains shrinking of meat during
cooking)
~20% protein (usually skeletal muscle)
~3% fat (varies quite a bit based on cut of meat)
Connective tissue:
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Binds muscle fibers into bundles and muscle to bone
Elastin – stretchy, cannot be broken down by heat
Collagen – ‘melts’ under heat into gelatin  unctuous
Meat: Light vs. Dark
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Muscle types based on movement:
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Fast explosive movement uses white muscle
fibers – fueled by glycogen, tire quickly.
Slower sustained movement uses red muscle
fibers – high in myoglobin.
Most muscles are a mix of the two
Examples:
Meat: Animals and Birds
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Commonly eaten animals include:
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Cattle – descended from wild Ox/Auroch Bos
primigenius, take ~2 years to reach maturity
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European style – cows are older (2-4 years at
slaughter).
American style – moved from well-marbled to leaner
meat, slaughtered at 15-24 months.
Japanese style – ‘kobe or wagyu beef’, 24-30 months
old, pampered cows, up to 40% marbling fat.
Veal – meat of young male cows (usually 5-16 wks
old)
Meat: Animals and Birds
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Sheep - lamb (1-12 months) and mutton
(older and aged for a week after slaughter)
Pigs – descendant of wild boar, grows fast,
large litters, omnivorous, carries a fair
number of parasites.
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Pork – from animals ~6 months old, less than ½
the fat of a century ago.
Meat is whiter because pigs use muscles
intermittently.
Meat: Animals and Birds
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Chicken – multiple ages used for differnet
purposes/markets. Range from 6 wks to over
40 wks old.
Turkeys – breast muscle is little used, legs
are well exercised and flavorful. Bred for
large size (at 12-24 weeks, French Bresse 32
wks old).
Ducks – dark flavorful breast meat (why?)
Squab – noble name for Rock Dove (pigeon)
Cuts of meat: Sheep
Cuts of Meat: Cow