Each of the animals that we raise for food has
its own biological nature, and its own history
of being shaped by humans to meet their
changing needs and tastes. This section
sketches the distinctive qualities of our more
common meats, and the main styles in which
they’re now produced.
Domestic Meat Animals
Cattle Cattle are descendents of the wild ox
or aurochs, Bos primigenius, which browsed
and grazed in forests and plains all across
temperate Eurasia. Cattle are our largest meat
animals and take the longest to reach
adulthood, about two years, so their meat is
relatively dark and flavorful. Breeders began
to develop specialized meat animals in the
18th century. Britain produced the compact,
fat-carcassed English Hereford and Shorthorn
and Scots Angus, while continental meat
breeds remained closer to the rangy, lean draft