Generally, people classify all meat obtained from cows as beef, but the age of a cow determines if it is called beef or veal. Veal meat is obtained from a young calf, ranging from six to seven months. They are not categorized as beef because “beef” is a term used to describe meats obtained from matured cows or cattle. Let’s discuss ‘Where does Veal meat come from?’.
What is a Veal?
As stated above veal is meat obtained from young calves ranging from six to seven months or less. They are often taken from their mothers immediately after birth. Veal meat can be obtained from any species of the calf, there are no required species to obtain veal meat from.
In choosing particular sex to obtain a veal, oftentimes the male calves are mostly preferred to be used for veal meat because they are considered not to be useful as they do not produce milk that could be used for dairy farming and they cannot be used also for breeding. Female calves on the other hand are often used to replace older female cows and they also produce milk for dairy farming, so they are not regularly used for veal.
What is Veal made from?
1. Bob Veal Calves
Bob Veal is obtained from calves who are a month old or weeks old. Meat obtained from such calves is tender since the muscles are undeveloped.
2. Slink Veal Calves
This is gotten from cows that were slaughtered while pregnant or cows that had stillbirth while giving birth. They are often referred to as the youngest form of veal.
3. Free Raised Veal Calves
These are calves who are allowed to stay with their mothers for some time until they are ready to be slaughtered. They are being fed milk from their mothers and pasture which makes them healthier than others.
4. Red Veal Calves
Similar to the free raised veal calves they are allowed to move freely till they are ready to be slaughtered. They are fed with milk replacer with grain and hay. They are healthier than other calves who are fed with only milk replacer. White veal meat is used more commonly than red veal meat.
Housing
Veal calves sometimes are housed separately after being taken away from their mothers; they are kept in a confinement known as the veal crates, where they are kept and chained. Some are being allowed to move freely for some time before they are being slaughtered.
Is Veal Crates Illegal?
Veal Crates have been banned in some countries like the EU but remain legal in the U.S. and some other countries.
Are Veal Calves Treated Poorly?
Calves tend to have an emotional bond with their mothers from birth because they provide the milk and security a young calf needs. Veal calves are taken from their mothers at birth and this can cause distress for the young calves psychologically and physically. They often suffer anemia because they have been fed a low iron diet(milk-fed) and not milk directly from their mothers.
Conclusion
Veal meat is obtained from male calves that are considered as being unwanted because they do not produce the milk needed for dairy farming. They are tender and soft, they are used to make different cuisines, they are preferable because they tend to absorb a good amount of flavors, unlike beef meat. Veal meat is used to make sausages etc.
The type of food given to the young calf and the older the calf gets, play a major role in determining the color of the veal. Most people prefer beef meat to veal meat because of certain speculations about how young calves used for veal are being treated. They are of the notion that calves used for veal are malnourished and also are given harsh treatments which can be likely said to be physically abused and this shouldn’t be so.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you differentiate between raw beef meat and raw veal meat?
A veal is obtained from younger cows; they tend to be light pink while beef is darker red, another difference you can take note of is that veal meat is tender while beef meat isn’t. Beef meat is considered to be strong.
Does Veal Meat Taste Better Than Beef?
Veal and beef are meats obtained from a cow; they might have similarities in taste and other differences. One of the differences is that veal meat is tender because most of the muscles aren’t fully developed and this can be good because it will be easy to absorb a good amount of flavors quickly unlike beef.
Is veal Malnourished?
Young calves are being taken from their mothers immediately after birth. They are fed with milk replacer formulated with milk-based proteins and vitamins.
