Steak used to be plain. Back in the grandeur days of The Berni Inn group - which pretty much characterized the UK steakhouse in the Sixties - the decision was between rump or fillet if you were feeling elegant. Sirloin came afterwards and was though-out to be different. A decade or so ago, when chef Angela Hartnett revealed that her preferred steak was a rib eye, it sounded strange.
These days, however, it's about far more than the reduction. There are health concerns to contend with: the World Health Organization warning about eating one steak a week will build the risk of bowel cancer by more than two-fifths. Meanwhile, many researchers directs against giving up red meat, given that it is an abundant source of energy and other important nutrients.
Temperance, then, would seem to be the solution. And if you are consuming just one steak a week, it might as well be the succulent and flavorful piece of meat you can manage. But you need a qualification in bovine biology to get what's available now. Aberdeen Angus, Dexter, Hereford, Wagyu, just to name a few.
Then you also have to consider what kind of food these cows are being fed as well as how long the meat was hunged or aged. For example, were these meat vacuum-packed or simply dry hung?
In regards to meat age, restaurants in Bristol and Manchester are selling middle-aged beef, some up to 17 years of age. According to Nemanja Borjanovic, the owner of restaurants in London and importer of beef, these older animals actually have darker colors compared to the younger ones you see in the supermarket. Flavors also come out stronger and deeper, sort of "like wine. The taste stays with you."
It's not a prevalent practice to eat dairy farm animals in most countries, as they have less meat on them, and meager basic cuts, which makes them costly to fatten up. But the Basque have a long culture of feasting on dairy steak, which they dub as Txuleton (pronounced chew-le-ton), specifically in their cider house outlet. And no wonder - it has the extremely well-known massive fat marbling that gives zest and moist to the meat, as well as that taste from the older animal.
It's not for everyone though. So, if you're looking for a new meat taste, 17 year old beef might just be interesting enough for you.
