Beef is a castrated male bovine, but in butchery generally includes the meat of all large cattle, heifer, cow, steer, bullock, steer. Among the best origins, one will find beef from Limousin, Normandy, Charolais or Parthenay, but also Chalosse (Aquitaine) and Salers (Auvergne), which are rarer. A good quality beef will be bright red and shiny, its consistency firm and elastic, its smell sweet. The fat is rather white or slightly yellow, forming a more or less tight network, the meat can be marbled or marbled. Beef provides "noble" pieces, for quick cooking, the most expensive, and second and third category pieces, rather used for slow cooking as carbonades. Among the best are steaks, chateaubriands and tournedos, entrecote, prime rib and roasts. Lesser quality dishes include braised meat, stews, bourguignons and pot-au-feu, for which you can choose pieces such as chuck, scoter, shank and collar. Discover original food and wine pairings with beef.
