Features
Learn your chuck from your brisket with our quick guide to cuts of beef. We also tackle the minor subject of the development of cooking, and pay a visit to Smithfield market. Who needs fast food!
The Development of Cooking
In distant prehistory, all the meat our ancestors ate was raw. Before control of fire had been achieved, early humans could do no more than hunt and feed like predatory beasts. It has often been said that the use of fire was the first major cultural leap our species made. Apart from warmth, light and security, it also established the origins of cooking.
Cuts of Beef
A cow is the largest animal supplying meat for the everyday table. As such, it provides a great range of different cuts, varying in tenderness and flavour, and having different roles in the kitchen. In the following guide, we start at the neck, travel along the back to the other end, and then return in the opposite direction underneath.
Smithfield Market
ICONS took a trip to historic Smithfield Market in the City of London to find out where to buy a great bit of beef and get some butchers’ tips.
