Where Does Steak Come From? Discover The Best Cuts Of Beef

Joan Agie
Oct 06, 2023 By Joan Agie
Originally Published on Oct 12, 2021
Grilled beef steaks with spices on wooden cutting board
Age: 3-18
Read time: 5.5 Min

Sirloin, tenderloin, and filet mignon are the most popular cuts of beef for a steak.

Do you know what a steak is? A steak is a special category of meat that cuts across the fibers of a muscle and often includes the bone as well.

If you know Tom and Jerry, then you must also know exactly how a raw steak looks like. The red circular piece with a white hole in it.

Do you know where steak comes from? Many experts believe that the word steak has a Scandinavian origin. But Italy is considered to be the birthplace of steak. In fact, Italians use the word steak for the thick-cut chop with a bone in it that is cut from the loin of veal. But now many countries process and sell steak worldwide. Switzerland is considered to have the cheapest meat. Beef mostly comes from cows and steers. The majority of bulls are castrated to be slaughtered for meat. Some of the most popular cuts of steak are filet mignon, tenderloin, sirloin, ribeye, and flank steak. Out of all the cuts, loin cuts are the lean cuts as there is not a lot of fat on the cow's hips.

After learning about different types of steak, you might also want to know where sausage comes from and where salami comes from.

What are the different types of steak?

Other than cows, steak comes from many other animals such as goats, kangaroo, pigs, and several others. Certain fish species are also used for preparing steaks, for example, salmon and shark.

When the slicing is done as parallel to the muscle fibers, the skirt steak cut is one such cut, the silver finger steak cut originates from the loin, and the flank steak cut comes from the animal's muscles along the abdominal region. Some popular types of steaks are tenderloin, rib-eye steak, New York strip, T-bone steak, hanger steak, filet mignon, sirloin tip roast, tri-tip, flank, flat iron, Wagyu steak, prime rib, brisket, and more.

Where does pork steak come from?

The shoulder of the pig makes for the best cut for the pork steak.  For pork steaks, several slices are taken from the shoulder of the animal especially the area that is closer to the front legs. A large number of cuts for the shoulder steak have a portion of the bone of the animal, which is usually the leg of the pig and is wrapped in a layer of fat from the outside. Pork steak is extremely popular as it is one of the most economical steaks available in the market. It is cheap because breeding is easy, These steaks are commonly cooked at a slower pace as compared to standard beefsteak. Many people often cook, grill, stew, or simmer the steak in a sauce during the process.

Two fresh raw rib-eye steak on wooden board

Where does steak come from on a cow?

The cow’s entire hind leg (which includes the butt, ham, and thigh) is known as the beef round. Round roast, top sirloin steak, sirloin tip roast, sirloin tip center steak, top sirloin, New York strip, and the London broil are extremely popular steak cuts and come from this area of the cow. The boneless ribeye is the ultimate cut of beef for a steak. It’s the most cow's most flavorful cut and comes with very rich marbling, which provides a superior beef taste when cooked. This steak comes from the rib section of the cow and here it gets the name cut of beef. The plate is a source for short ribs and skirt steak.

Beefsteak cuts are graded for quality. Generally, the higher the quality, the more tender the beef, and the less time is needed for cooking, and the better the flavor. The beef cuts of Japanese cow breed Wagyu is one of the most expensive meats in the world because of its flavor and tenderness. Different cuts of meat-based on their tenderness require different types of cooking.

Beef muscle meat is meat made of fibers that are bound with connective tissues connected with other groups of muscles. This muscle meat is an essential part of a raw diet and is absolutely necessary for a balanced diet.

Where does chuck eye steak come from?

Chuck Eye Steak is available at a lower price as compared to other options. Meat present along the upper shoulder of the cow makes for an excellent cut for this steak. Tender ribeye comes from the sixth to twelfth ribs of a cow. Butchers cut the chuck eye from the fifth rib. Chuck eye steaks aren't always available—there are just two per cow. Roasts, as well as steaks such as shoulder roast, chuck roast, Denver cut, and flat iron steak, originate from the region known as Chuck. A chuck eye steak (rib-eye) is not quite as tender as the rib-eye steaks next to it, but it has a meaty beef flavor after cooking.

What is the most unhealthy meat to eat?

Everything is healthy if you eat in the right proportions and at the right time of the day. Meat is also healthy because it has many required nutrients which are necessary for our body. But there are some types of meat which are not healthy for us. Though we eat them because they are delicious, they are not good for our overall health. Lamb, beef, and sausages are on the top of the list of unhealthy meats, which one should avoid cooking as a meal.

Lamb is one of the fattiest meats on your plate. A study in Europe suggests that those who eat Lamb daily are more likely to develop colon cancer. The reason is that hemoglobin and myoglobin, which are found in all red meat, react with chemicals in the gut to create cancer-causing agents. So, you should not have lamb daily, instead, you can cook lamb once a week, and that too in limited proportions.

Sausage, specifically pork sausage, has a high-fat content. It’s also processed and seasoned with some suspect spices and chemicals. A study in Europe recently found that a red food coloring that is used in cheap sausages could cause cancer. To avoid this issue, do not go for the cheap sausage brands. Try to have sausages that are of premium quality and do not look unnaturally red.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions forWhere Does Steak Come From? Astonishing Facts To Know On Cut Of Meat, then why not take a look at What Is The Purpose Of Mitosis? All The Stages Explained, or Food Facts: What Do Kangaroos Eat? Interesting Lesson For Kids.

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Written by Joan Agie

Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

Joan Agie picture

Joan AgieBachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

With 3+ years of research and content writing experience across several niches, especially on education, technology, and business topics. Joan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and has worked as a researcher and writer for organizations across Nigeria, the US, the UK, and Germany. Joan enjoys meditation, watching movies, and learning new languages in her free time.

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