Cattle, sheep, pigs: a guide to animal families and their characteristics

In this new article from Blooness guideguide to the ideal diet, we're going to take a look at different types of meat. Indeed, when you want to make food a health ally, the subject of protein is a subject that cannot be ignoredespecially in Mediterranean diet, lowcarb, ketogenic and a fortiori carnivorous, since as we have seen in the previous contents of this guide, protein is the epicentre of human nutrition. This does not mean that it should make up the majority of dietary energy intake, but rather that it is the foundation, the intangible base from which dietary energy intake can be determined. lipids and in carbohydrates can be added. And as we have seen in previous contents devoted to proteinsIn terms of protein bioavailability, i.e. the body's ability to extract amino acids from proteins and use them for tissue renewal, meat and animal products in general are unbeatable.

The problem is knowledge about meat is lost from generation to generation. For many consumers, meat consumption today boils down to minced steaks of questionable quality, often eaten in fast-food outlets or bought in supermarkets, and sourced from farms about which little is known. This excessive consumption of meat from animals that may have been raised in battery cages can have harmful consequences for human health, but also for the planet. What's more, this high demand for cheap meat from animals raised in questionable conditions runs counter to animal welfare.

Furthermore, consumers tend to consume almost exclusively the leaner parts of the meat, via low-fat minced meats for example, or via nobler cuts but from which the fat has been removed in order to be in line with the common belief that fats The problem is that this practice can turn out to be The problem is that this practice can turn out to be very unhealthy. pro-inflammatory for the body. In addition, exclusive consumption of lean meat tends to reduce the feeling of satiety. As a result, it's either harder to reach satiety during a meal, or you feel hungry more quickly, which can lead to excessive consumption of complementary foods that are not very good for your health or your figure.

Symmetrically, fat-enriched steaks or fatty cuts of certain meats such as chicken thighs or pork chops can also be problematic because we don't know the nutritional profile of the fats that make up these meatsFor the simple reason that we don't know under what conditions the animals were raised, or what they were fed. In other words, we don't know whether the fatty acids contained in these meats have a pro-inflammatory effect on the body. So, increasing your fat intake requires a global view of the quality of the food you eat.

And to top it all off, offal is now practically a thing of the pastThese are the kind of cuts that require slow and sometimes tedious cooking, such as beef chuck, brisket or lamb shoulder. These are "braise" cuts, as opposed to grilled cuts such as the simple minced steak, which, as the name suggests, is already pre-chewed by a machine for human consumption.

And yet, these parts found in simmered dishes have immeasurable benefits, starting with collagen contentThis is not only due to their high content in fatty acids, essential for tendons, joints and bone health, but also to the satiety they bring, since they take time to digest.

What's more, from an evolutionary point of view, these cuts have been consumed by human beings over the course of their evolution, since hunter-gatherers couldn't be satisfied with a simple 5% first-price minced steak, since for reasons of survival, we have adapted by consuming the animal from head to tail.

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And that's exactly what we're going to be aiming for by reviewing in this content the different animals that are generally destined for human consumption, and we'll see in the following content how human beings have influenced the diet of cattle in particular, with what this may have entailed both good and not so good for human health, leading us to a list of the best meats for health and longevity.

The Best Meats chapter is divided into several sub-chapters which you can find here.

So let's take a look at the different types of livestock, then in the chapters to come we'll identify meat cuts that are likely to be beneficial to the bodywith a focus on labels and breeding that are virtuous as much for our health as for the planet and the animal kingdom.

Quality, nutritionally dense meat, rich in glycine and collagen, is far more likely to regenerate the body's tissues and satisfy satiety than industrially-produced meat. And we're not even talking about meat puffed up with water, or worse, enriched with starch, nitrite, dextrose or any other product added by industry with harmful effects on health.

The aim of this part of the Blooness Guide is to help us learn more about the different types of meat, the different cuts, the farming methods used and the feed given to the animals. in fine a must-have list of best cuts of meat to be preferred for healthy longevity.

But to achieve this goal, we're going to start by improving our knowledge of the animal kingdom. To this end, in this chapter we will review the different animal families such as cattle, sheep and poultry.

In fact, as we did for the vegetablesthe spicesor the oilseedsWhen it comes to making choices, being clear about what you want and what you don't will always help. To put it another way, when all you know is chicken fillet, chicken leg, chopped steak and entrecôte steak, you're quickly limited in terms of food strategy, and also in terms of taste pleasure, especially on a diet. ketocarnivorous, paleo and of course MediterraneanThe latter is the quintessence of diversity and culinary pleasure.

It is therefore relevant broaden its spectrum of knowledge by going back to the basics that some young people don't know, so that they can put diversity back into their diet.

So let's take a look at the different animal families and see what makes them unique. In particular, we're going to take a look at cattle, sheep and goats, which are all ruminants, as well as horses, pigs and poultry. And thanks to this list, we'll be able to identify the best meats for human health in the content to come.

Ruminants VS non-ruminants

Before drawing up the list of animals, it is important to have a quick look at how these animal families digest nutrientsand what they are used to consuming.

Here, we'll be looking at animals that are classified as ruminants, and others that are not.

Ruminants have a unique digestive system with several stomachs (or stomach compartments), enabling them to ferment and digest plants very efficiently. They digest their food by regurgitating and ruminating it, and this enables them to take advantage of fibers plants, notably cellulose. Ruminants include cattle, sheep, goats and certain members of the cervid family (horned ruminants) such as deer, fallow deer, elk, reindeer and roe deer.

Non-ruminants, on the other hand, have a simple stomach and sometimes fermentation in another part of the digestive system, and some animals consume a wider range of foods, notably pigs, which are omnivores. Non-ruminants include horses, pigs, poultry and the majority of game animals such as rabbits, pheasants, wild boar and hares.

We'll need to keep this information in mind when discussing the best cuts of meat for human health, since the quality of the meat will depend precisely on respect for the ancestral and natural diet of the animals. But don't panic, we'll look at this in detail by reviewing each animal family.

1. Cattle

The cattle family includes oxen, cows, calves, bulls and bison. Let's take a quick look at each of these animals.

  • Veal

The calf is the young male or female bovine.It is available from birth to 8 or 10 months. Its flesh is particularly tender and mild, making it a popular choice for delicate recipes such as escalopes or roasts.

  • Beef

The ox is the castrated adult male. The fact that it is castrated encourages the formation of intramuscular fat, giving the meat a characteristic marbling. Marbling is precisely the degree of fat found in the meat. Beef is highly prized for its rich flavors, and is suitable for a whole host of cooking methods. Beef can be grilled, roasted or braised, depending on the cuts chosen, but we'll come back to this in a separate article.

  • The bull

The bull is the uncastrated adult male. Its meat is often firmer and less fatty than that of beef, and it is generally eaten in more robust dishes or in certain regional recipes.

  • The heifer

A heifer is an adult female bovine that has not yet given birth to a calf. Its meat is similar to that of beef, though slightly more tender, and is often sought after for dishes that require gentle cooking.

  • The cow

The cow is an adult female that has calved (giving birth to at least one calf). Cow meat is both firmer and often fatter, making it ideal for longer preparations, such as stews or minced meats.

  • The bison

The bison is a wild cattleThe meat is leaner than beef, with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Bison meat is ideal for those looking for a lighter alternative to beef.

  • The buffalo

The buffalo is a bovid cousin of the bison, and both are ruminants, except that the bison is native to Europe and North America, while the buffalo is native to Asia and Africa. The buffalo's female, the buffalo, is best known for producing the famous Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, a cheese with a protected designation of origin, which is obtained using an ancestral, controlled process.

Main features on cattle

The animals we've just listed, which are cattle, are all members of the large ruminant family, which digests plants by regurgitating and ruminating them, but we'll see this in detail in the following content.

Beef meats are renowned for their deep flavor and texture, which varies according to the degree of marbling, which is characterized by the small threads of fat found inside the flesh. Beef is often marinated or grilledwhile veal, more tender and delicate, lends itself to slower cooking, such as roasts. To roast is to cook a piece of meat in the oven, usually of a good size (roast beef, veal or pork, leg or rack of lamb).

The rare and leaner bison offers a flavor similar to beef, with a milder touch.

Cattle production diagram

Although its reputation may have been tarnished in recent years, beef is rich in high-quality protein and in iron heme, which is very well absorbed by the body, making it an excellent choice for preventing anemia and ensuring a supply of highly bioavailable protein for the body.

Beef or cow?

The question now arises as to why there are no products on the market labelled "heifer" or "cow", for example.

Indeed, it It is legally possible to call meat from other categories of cattle "beef".. Although most meats are sold under the generic name of "beef", the meat may come from cows, bulls or heifers (young cows).

In France, only the name "veal" is regulated and must be applied to the meat of cattle slaughtered before the age of 8 months. This is why you can find veal in supermarkets, for example. For the rest, however, beef comes indiscriminately from cows, bulls or heifers.

In 2021, out of total beef consumption in France :

  • 16% came from bulls and bullocks
  • 60% of cows
  • 18% of heifers
  • And only 6% of cattle consumption actually comes from beef.This corresponds to approximately 144,000 oxen, 10 times less than the number of cows!

In other words, the majority of beef in France comes from cows, although it is commonly referred to as beef. Carcasses and meat from these different animals may have different nutritional, taste and yield characteristics.

It is also important to note that 68% of bovine production comes from animals that have been raised to produce meat (beef or suckling) and that 32% comes from animals whose primary vocation was to produce milk (dairy industry), with meat as a secondary purpose.. A third of France's meat is therefore raised primarily for its milk. It's important to bear this in mind when considering future content on meat choice, as we'll be looking at the farms and feed given to both sectors, in order to choose the one that's most suitable and natural.

Cattle breeds

Secondly, it's important to know that there are different breeds of cattle. That's what you see, for example, on the displays or menus of some restaurants, when they mention the origin of their meat.

Bovine breeds are groups of cattle selected and bred for their specific characteristics.Whether in terms of morphology, climatic resistance or their suitability for meat and milk productionor agricultural work.

Each breed has distinct qualities: some, like Holsteins are renowned for their high milk productionwhile others, such as Charolaise or Aubrac, are appreciated for their meat. The diversity of cattle breeds enables us to meet the varied agricultural and dietary needs of different regions and breeders.

It's important to keep this in a place in our brain, because we'll be coming back to the question of whether or not it's a good idea to eat meat or dairy products from a particular breed.

France has the largest cattle population in Europewith no fewer than 25 breeds. They include meat breeds, also known as suckling breeds because the females suckle their youngsuch as Charolaise, Limousine, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Gasconne, Aubrac, etc...

In dairy breedsThese include Hosltein, Prim'Holstein, Bretonne pie noire and Jersaise.

There are also mixed breedsThey are as famous for their milk as for their meat, as are Normande, Montbéliarde and Tarentaise, for example.

In the rest of the world, we find the Angus, originally from Scotland and renowned for its meat, the Jersey (originally from Great Britain), and a whole host of other breeds from South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. These breeds, selected according to local needs and climates, demonstrate the great diversity and adaptation of cattle to different regions of the world.

Let's move on to sheep.

2. Sheep

Sheep are mainly lamb and mutton, two meats appreciated for their unique flavor and tenderness.

  • Lamb This is a young sheep, male or femaleusually slaughtered before one year of age. Lamb meat is tender, with a subtle flavor, and lends itself well to grilling, roasting and stewing. Females are sometimes referred to as lambs.
  • Aries : This is a uncastrated male sheep over 12 months of age.
  • Sheep This is the name used for to refer generically to sheep in general, but it is also used to designate a castrated adult male sheepfor meat production. Mutton has an even stronger flavor than lamb.
  • Ewes : It's the adult female sheepwhich can then give birth to lambs (baby sheep).

Like cattle, sheep come in a large number of breeds - over 30 in France, for example. They are generally classified into six different types:

  • Early breeds, selected for their high growth potential and excellent breeding ability: Ile de France, Berrichon du Cher, South Down, Suffolk...
  • Grassland breeds, located in large breeding areas under oceanic influence: Charollais, Bleu du Maine, Rouge de l'Ouest, Vendéen, etc...
  • Hardy breeds, used in the difficult medium and high mountain areas: Blanc du Massif Central, Préalpes du Sud, Limousine, etc.
  • MERINOS breeds, originally selected for their wool, but now oriented towards meat production.
  • Dairy breeds, bred for milk and cheese production: Lacaune, Manech, Basco-Bearnaise, etc...

As with cattle, there are numerous breeds of sheep specific to each country or region, each selected for its characteristics adapted to the climate, landscape and breeders' needs (milk, meat, wool).

3. Goats

The goat family mainly comprises goatswhich are high for different reasons in different regions.

In France and Europe, they are best known for their milk productiontransformed into famous cheeses, such as fresh or matured goat's cheese. We know, for example, that goat's or sheep's cheese (classified in the sheep family) is sometimes better tolerated by some people than cow's milk products, but we'll come back to the issue of dairy products shortly.

Furthermore, in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Central and South America, thegoat meat is prized for its distinctive flavour and low fat content.. Goats are highly adaptable to arid climates and steep terrain, making them an important resource in areas where other livestock types are less successful. In these areas, goats provide not only milk, but also meat rich in protein and fat. mineralsoften used in traditional dishes.

4. Equines

Equine products mainly include horsemeatwhich is less common but still eaten in some countries. Horsemeat is renowned for its tenderness and slightly sweet flavor. Rich in iron, it is often eaten as steak or carpaccio, and is distinguished by its dark red color and subtle flavor.

By way of background, here's how equines are classified:

  • Foal: young male less than 12 months old.
  • Filly: young female horse, generally under three years old, not yet fully grown.
  • Foal: male or female foal not weaned, i.e. still being fed by its mother and not yet weaned. As a reminder, weaning is the process by which a young animal ceases to depend on its mother's milk and switches to a solid diet.
  • Mare: adult female intended for breeding.
  • Stallion: uncastrated adult male intended for breeding.
  • Gelding: castrated male.
  • Horse: generic term for a male or female over 12 months of age.

5. Pigs

The pig family includes porkvery popular, as well as wild boarwhich is a game animal. Game refers to all wild animals hunted for their meat. But both are pigs, since wild boar is the pig's wild counterpart.

The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) is a descendant of the wild boar (Sus scrofa), which was domesticated around 9,000 to 10,000 years ago, probably in the Middle East and other regions. The domestic pig is thus the result of thousands of years of domestication and selection from the wild boar.

Wild boar meat firmerwith a powerful, rustic taste. This meat is often used in game dishes, simmered to soften its texture.

In terms of age-related classification, here are the different names for pork:

  • Charcuterie pig: male or female raised for meat.
  • Boar: breeding male.
  • Sow: reproductive female who has already had a litter.
  • Gilt: female that has never had a piglet (unlike sows that have already had one or more piglets).
  • Piglet: sow's young, male or female, less than 2 months old.
  • Suckling pig: 5-week-old piglet.

Pork is tender and versatile, with a mild flavor. The different cuts allow for a variety of preparations, from roasts to grillsand is often used for delicatessen (sausages, hams, pâtés).

6. Poultry

The poultry family covers a wide range of domestic and wild animals, each offering unique qualities.

  • Chicken Which is probably the most popular meat in the world, and is renowned for its high quality. tenderness and its versatility. This is relatively low-fat white meatsuitable for and grills, and at a relatively low cost.. For all these reasons chicken is the most widely consumed meat in the world.
  • Turkey : Poultry similar to chicken but largeroften used in roasts and festive preparations. Its meat is lean and tastyideal for light dishes.
  • Duck : Unlike chicken and turkey, duck meat is fattier and has a stronger taste. It is ideal for confits, magrets and simmered dishes.
  • Guinea fowl His flesh is tastier and slightly firmer than chicken. Guinea fowl is often used for roasted dishesThis is an interesting alternative to more common poultry.
  • Goose : With a fatty, tasty fleshGoose is often prepared for special occasions. Its meat lends itself well to slow cooking to reveal all its richness.

7. Game

Game includes wild animals and are prized for their strong taste and their unique texture. We've already seen the wild boar, which belongs to the porcine family, and here we find a whole host of other species:

  • Deer : Deer meat is farm and has a distinctive intense. It is ideal for simmered dishes or roastswhere it reveals its particular aromas. Unlike most other game animals, the stag is a cervid, a ruminant herbivore with horns. The female deer is the doe.
  • Deer : Tenderer than deervenison offers a tasty meat that lends itself well to roasts or dishes in sauce. Like the deer, it is a cervid, a ruminant herbivore.
  • Hare : Hare meat is dark and has a strong flavor, appreciated in simmered dishes or pâtés.
  • Pigeon : This small game offers dark meat with a subtle yet rich flavor. It is often prepared roasted or in salmis, a traditional simmered dish.

Finally, we might briefly mention the rabbit, which is sometimes classified as "game" in culinary terms, but belongs neither to the ruminants nor to the rodents. Rabbits belong to the lagomorphs, an order distinct from other farm animal families such as ruminants or equines. Lagomorphs include rabbits, hares and pikas.

8. Exotic meats

Exotic meats include less common animals and offer a new taste experience.

  • Ostrich : Meat, similar to beef but leaneris a bright red color that lends itself to rapid cooking like grilling or pan-frying.
  • Kangaroo Kangaroo meat is tender and has a subtle flavor. It's rich in protein and nutrients, ideal for steaks and stir-fries.
  • Crocodile Its flesh is white and firm, with a light flavor sometimes reminiscent of chicken or fish. It is often used in grilled or fried dishes.

Conclusion

In this chapter, we review the different families of animals most commonly consumed so that we can state them clearly. Formalizing things, and knowing to which group a given animal belongs, makes it easier to tackle the subject of animal meat, whether for the pleasure of tasting it, or for the issues of breeding, animal welfare, ecology and healthy human longevity.

This content is a kind of carnivorous counterpart to the work we did on vegetables, spices and cereals.

In the next section, we'll take a look at how these animals naturally feed.and how they digest food. In this way, we can find out whether the food they are given corresponds to what they used to eat in the ancestral wayThe purpose of this guide is to identify the animals whose diets are best suited to them, and which it would therefore be wise to consume. As always, the aim of this guide is to respect the precautionary principle. In this case, this means Prefer meat from animals fed according to their ancestral dietsIn this way, the benefits of these products can be enjoyed by humans, rather than intensively-farmed animals fed on foods to which they may not be fully adapted.

See you soon in the next content of the Blooness guide!

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