Steak served in pub query ??

[TeenSpirit]

Someone once told me that the 'steak' you order in pubs isn't necessarily proper beef steaks, or something along those lines or some other kind of cattle especially bread for cheaper restaurant market I remember being shocked at the time.

Does anyone else have any knowledge of this, it is really bugging me now, surely I didn't dream it up ???

Any help thanks

[Mr_Wistles]

I have heard about this, typically Wetherspoons and other large pub chains, some type of animal called a kajaboo (sounds something like that).

[TeenSpirit]

I'm not going mad then, thanks - yes I thought it was a different animal that the steaks came from - i am going to look into it some more.

[Mr_Wistles]

There you go: -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebu

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/n...rticleid=48947

[TeenSpirit]

Originally Posted by Russell_Piper

There you go: -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebu

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/n...rticleid=48947

I had heard correctly then and not imagined it - so Zebu meat !
It's enough to put you off eating out, you just never know what they are serving up

[Jenn]

[TeenSpirit]

Shocking isn't it !

[John 1987]

I personally don’t really see what the fuss is all about. If you read the wiki article, it’s not 100% Zebu that is reared for food, but a cross breed adapted for the warmer climates of Brazil, sounds like a fairly sensible thing to me as it allows for the mass production of cattle in South America were costs will be a lot cheaper. And at the end of the day, it is just another breed of cattle, I don’t understand, is it the ‘hump’ that puts people off? Would you really expect to get a top quality cut of meat, off the finest variety of cattle in a J.D. Weatherspoons? I feel this animal is just providing what the customers demand, a cheap and plentiful supply of meat.

or some other kind of cattle especially bread for cheaper restaurant market

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by John 1987

I personally don’t really see what the fuss is all about. If you read the wiki article, it’s not 100% Zebu that is reared for food, but a cross breed adapted for the warmer climates of Brazil, sounds like a fairly sensible thing to me as it allows for the mass production of cattle in South America were costs will be a lot cheaper. And at the end of the day, it is just another breed of cattle, I don’t understand, is it the ‘hump’ that puts people off? Would you really expect to get a top quality cut of meat, off the finest variety of cattle in a J.D. Weatherspoons? I feel this animal is just providing what the customers demand, a cheap and plentiful supply of meat.

No, what's shocking is that they don't make that clear in the restaurant.
People have a right to know what they're being served - look at all the fuss about making clear in supermarket where the animal has been reared and killed; here you're not even told what the meat actually is.

What's the difference between that and a dog/rat/whatever kebhab?

[John 1987]

here you're not even told what the meat actually is

What's the difference between that and a dog/rat/whatever kebhab?

I'm sure if they named all the differing breed of cattle, people still wouldn't have a clue what they were eating. My point, and I'm playing a little bit of devil's advocate, is that a Zebu (or its cross-breed) is still a breed of cattle, so I feel it can be rightfully advertised as a beef steak, it is what it is. Your analogy to a dog/rat/whatever i'm slightly confused about, obviously if dog meat was being served that would be wrong, but they're of a completely different species to the one it would be 'pretending' to be.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by Jenn

People have a right to know what they're being served -

I haven't been in a fish and chip shop for many years but I remember they used to sell dogfish under the much more appetising name of Rock Salmon

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by John 1987

I'm sure if they named all the differing breed of cattle, people still wouldn't have a clue what they were eating. My point, and I'm playing a little bit of devil's advocate, is that a Zebu (or its cross-breed) is still a breed of cattle, so I feel it can be rightfully advertised as a beef steak, it is what it is. Your analogy to a dog/rat/whatever i'm slightly confused about, obviously if dog meat was being served that would be wrong, but they're of a completely different species to the one it would be 'pretending' to be.

Well the dog/rat example is a bit streched but what's wrong is the fact that you're served something different to what you're told it is. The fact that it's dog surely doesn't matter, there's nothing wrong with dog meat except in our culture we've been raised to feel like it's wrong.

However on the original topic, beef is from a cow or steer. Zebu while still being cattle is a different animal.
I'd guess it's a bit like horse, donkey and mule. If you ate horse meat and were served mule you might not appreciate it.

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by Ian J

I haven't been in a fish and chip shop for many years but I remember they used to sell dogfish under the much more appetising name of Rock Salmon

Well that may be because rock salmon is the flesh of dogfish.

[dan1979]

Terrible that something we can produce in abundance here to a very high quality gets overlooked in favour of sub-standard imports.

You just can't trust food nowadays..

[TeenSpirit]

IT's like Jenn says, it's the labelling that they are always going on about, food being properly labelled and yet they are selling what we associate as 'steak' as not being a cut of meat from a cow but from some other cattle.

I know it's hypocritical for me to say that I am going to eat meat but only certain types, for example, cow and that I have visions that this animal has been reared in a certain way and cared for for human consumption - with any other cattle, for example, Zebu, I have visions of this being mass reared in poor conditions for the sake of selling cheaper cuts of meat - wrong assumptions I know - but I would rather know exactly what I am eating rather than being fooled or blinkered. Call me naive

I now only eat free range eggs or chicken after all the hype about it so how come 'steaks' aren't given the same attention Maybe some supermarket 'steaks' are also from Zebu... I will check labelling next time I go shopping.