Beef

Meat

Beef

Beef is among the most widely eaten meats in the world, prized for its rich umami flavour, suitability across roasting, grilling, braising, and curing, and the wide range of cuts available from premium steaks to economical braising joints. Breed, finishing method, and ageing all strongly influence tenderness, marbling, and flavour. From Sunday roasts to restaurant chateaubriand, beef anchors cuisines across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Understanding cuts, breeds, and provenance helps match the right product to slow cooking, quick searing, or charcuterie.

Track this ingredient

Unit

Cuts & parts

Breeds & varieties

A sample of named types with their own origin and culinary profiles. Showing 10 of 86.

View all

View all 86 breeds & varieties

Characteristics

Preparations

ChilledCuredDicedFreshFrozenGrilledGroundHalvedMincedRoastedSaltedSlicedSmokedWhole

Provenance

100 Day Grain Finished200 Day Grain FinishedAntibiotic FreeBarley FinishedBiodynamicCorn FinishedFarm AssuredFinished on PastureFree RangeGrain FedGrass FedHeritageHormone FreeOat FinishedOrganicPasture RaisedRegenerativeSingle Origin

Sources

Indoor FarmedOutdoor FarmedWild

Traits

ButteryDarkEarthyFirmLeanMarbledMoistPaleTenderUmami

Nutrition and pairings

Nutrition

Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.

Nutrition Facts

Per 100 g edible portion

Calories 196

Amount per 100 g

  • Total Fat 12.5 g
  • Saturated Fat 4.83 g
  • Trans Fat 0.2 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat 4.89 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat 1.03 g
  • Cholesterol 72.8 mg
  • Sodium 59.6 mg
  • Salt 0.15 g
  • Total Carbohydrate 0 g
  • Dietary Fibre 0 g
  • Total Sugars 0 g
  • Complex / starch 0 g
  • Protein 22.1 g
  • Water 63.6 g
Detailed nutrients

Muscle meat is protein-dense with variable marbling fat.

In the kitchen

Culinary partners and combinations that usually underperform with Beef.

Pairs well with

Classic and complementary matches

Usually avoid with

Often clash in flavour or tradition

Grading systems

Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.

Argentina

IPCVA / SENASA

Australia

MSA

Brazil

MAPA

Canada

Canada Grade

Europe

EUROP

Japan

JMGA

South Africa

SAMIC / Class

South Korea

KAPE

United Kingdom

AHDB / EUROP

United States

USDA

History

Cattle were domesticated from wild aurochs in the Near East and spread with early agriculture across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

GB

Selective breeding accelerated in Britain with documented herd improvement for meat and dairy production.

US

Refrigerated transport and Chicago stockyards enabled industrial beef distribution across North America.

Global beef production expanded with grain-finishing systems and internationally recognised grading standards.

An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Rejoining the server...

Rejoin failed... trying again in seconds.

Failed to rejoin.
Please retry or reload the page.

The session has been paused by the server.

Failed to resume the session.
Please retry or reload the page.