Veal is rarely served on Polish tables, because we consider it difficult to process and expensive. However, properly prepared veal is unique in taste, and Viennese schnitzel is the pride of many restaurants. Veal is a dietary, easily digestible meat that is worth adding variety to your daily menu.
Veal is a lean and easily digestible meat. Due to thenutritional value of veal , it is recommended in dietary nutrition, for children and the elderly. Veal meat has a high nutritional value. 100 g of veal contains about 20 g of protein and only about 3.5 g of fat. For comparison, a beef or pork carcass contains an average of about 15 g of protein. The fat content of the various culinary elements of veal varies from 3 g in the leg to 10 g in the kidney. At the same time, it is low in calories. The whole medium fat carcass provides 151 kcal per 100 g, and the leg - 116 kcal per 100 g. The young age of calves slaughter ensures that the meat is not infiltrated with intermuscular fat and has a tender structure. The tender, loose meat of the calves is infused with a large amount of equally delicate connective tissue and contains very little intramuscular fat. This gives a great opportunity to reduce the caloric content of dishes by using only elements without intermuscular fat. Veal contains 71 mgcholesterolper 100 g. This is slightly more than lean pork (55 mg) and similar to poultry.
Veal: nutritional values
Protein, fat and kcal content in 100 g of veal
| Type of meat | Protein [g / 100 g] | Fat [g / 100 g] | Caloric value [kcal / 100 g] |
| Whole carcass medium fat | 19.7 | 8 | 151 |
| Hill, kidney | 19.5 | 10 | 159 |
| Łopatka | 19,4 | 9 | 168 |
| Udziec | 21.8 | 3 | 116 |
| Liver | 19 | 4,9 | 136 |
Veal is a good source of B vitamins, especially B1 ( thiamin ), B2( riboflavin ) as well as PP ( niacin ). It is characterized by a high content of iron and phosphorus, as well as good proportions of sodium and potassium. The liver is the richest in vitamins and minerals in the calf carcass. It is the only veal that contains vitamins A and C.
Veal, like meat, and in fact fat from other ruminants, is a good source of CLA conjugated linoleic acid. This type of fat has numerous he alth-promoting effects that are confirmed by scientific research. CLA delays the formation ofatherosclerosis , accelerates the reduction of adipose tissue, inhibits the development ofdiabetes type 2 , improves bone mineralization, has bactericidal and antioxidant properties. 1 g of veal fat contains 2.7 mg of CLA, 4.3 mg of beef and 0.6 mg of pork.
Content of selected vitamins and minerals in 100 g of veal
|
Type of meat |
Minerals [mg / 100 g] |
Vitamins [mg / 100 g] |
|||||||
|
Calcium |
Phosphorus |
Iron |
Magnesium |
B1 |
B2 |
PP |
A |
C |
|
|
Whole carcass medium fat |
11 |
201 |
3 |
29 |
0,14 |
0.26 |
6,6 |
- |
- |
|
Hill, kidney |
11 |
200 |
0.9 |
No data |
0,14 |
0.26 |
6,5 |
- |
- |
|
Łopatka |
11 |
199 |
2,9 |
No data |
0,14 |
0.4 |
6,1 |
- |
- |
|
Udziec |
10 |
160 |
2,4 |
No data |
0,18 |
0.28 |
6,5 |
- |
- |
|
Liver |
6 |
343 |
10,6 |
21 |
0.21 |
3,12 |
16,1 |
3744 |
36 |
How to recognize veal?
According to the European Commission, veal is considered to be meat from calves up to 8 months of age. Slaughtering animals between 8 and 12 months of age gives young beef, and slaughtering older ones - beef. Veal is most often obtained from male cattle of dairy breeds, which, for obvious reasons of sex, cannot produce milk. Most often, calves intended for meat are kept for no longer than 6 months, and the most delicious meat is meat from 6-8 week-old animals, fed mainly with milk. It has the most delicate flavor and light color. The meat of younger animals is often watery and too loose, while the meat of older animals is tougher and darker. Veal is classified as red meat, but the meat of young calves is pale pink and this color is most desired by consumers. The light color of the meat results from the way the calves are fed: milk or a low iron substitute. The anemia caused in this way and the low content of myoglobin (pigment) in the muscles guarantee a light pink meat with a yellow tinge. In traditional breeding, milk alone is used to feed the slaughter calves from 10 to 90 days. Due to the demand for the so-called white veal meat in industrial breeding extends the feeding period with milk or substitute feed to 5 months. During this time, animals are fed only with liquid food, and their mobility is also limited, so that the meat is as tender as possible. These are not natural rearing conditions, and these calves cannot be fed solid fodder because their digestive tract is insufficiently developed. In stores, you can find both white and intensely pink meat, which comes from around 8-month-old animals that were fed with fodder like adult cattle.
Worth knowingIn Poland, the production of beef and veal is small and not very profitable. Cattle are mainly reared for milk, and over 80% of livestock farming is extensive. Farms usually have 1 to 9 cows that graze freely. On the Polish market, it is difficult to find the repeatability of the raw material, which is meat, because no typical cattle breeds are bred. Therefore, its culinary and taste values are lower. The price of beef and veal is high compared to the popular poultry and pork. Hence, it results mainly from the very low consumption of these meats, which has been constantly decreasing since 1990. Two decades ago, the total consumption of beef was around 20 kg per person per year. Currently, the average Pole eats 1.6 kg of beef and only 0.25 kg of vealduring the year. The veal market in Poland is practically only for export purposes.
How do I make veal?
Veal as a culinary raw material has its supporters and opponents. It is very delicate and properly prepared meat has an excellent taste. However, it contains very little intramuscular fat, making it easy to dry out and make it chewy. Good veal can be light pink (more tender) or deep pink than older animals. The meat should be moist on the surface, with a small amount of perfectly white fat, with a slight odor. "White veal" often has a slightly sour smell reminiscent of milk, but this is not a disadvantage. After purchase, you can keep the meat in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, in a vacuum package - up to 7 days. It is best to freeze large pieces of veal. This will prevent the meat from drying out. Frozen can be stored for up to 9 months. To prevent the meat from losing its taste after freezing, it should be defrosted slowly, preferably in the refrigerator.
When making veal, remember to position the knife across the grain of the meat when cutting meat, as cuts with shorter grains can be chewed more easily. Remember not to put cold meat in the pan. Before you start cooking, the veal should be at room temperature. Give the meat a rest after taking it out of the oven or taking it from the pan. 5 minutes for chops and half an hour for roasts will allow the juices in the meat to thicken and improve its taste and aroma. The veal can be fried, grilled, baked and stewed. If you plan to use veal for longer cooking, e.g. baking, it is best to buy a piece of meat with a fat about 1 cm thick. The most delicate and the leanest is the tenderloin, but it is very easy to dry it. To prevent the meat from drying out quickly when frying or baking it, wrap it in slices of bacon. Shoulder and neck are best suited for long stews and baking, for stews and stews. You can also prepare juicy cutlets from the pork neck. Saddle is divided into pork loin and hill. These pieces of meat are best cooked whole, but can also be cut into steaks. The hind leg is most often used for schnitzels, steaks and roulades. Veal is a delicate-tasting meat and requires not very expressive spices so that it does not "perish" in the pot. Often all you need is s alt and pepper, but herbs will also work:sage ,rosemary ,thyme ,basilioregano . Onions, leeks, tomatoes, mushrooms, mustard and cream go well with veal. It is served in a variety of ways, but often with baked potatoes. Behindthe most famous veal dish is the Viennese schnitzel, which is fried in breadcrumbs almost without fat.
Poles buy veal very rarely. They are put off by the high price and difficulties in cooking this meat. Although well-done veal is an exquisite dish. Depending on the age and method of feeding the calves, the meat is pale and light pink or intensely pink, with slightly different taste qualities. Veal is a dietary meat with high nutritional value, so it would be beneficial to increase its consumption among Poles.
Sources:
1. Stanisławczyk R.,Veal - nutritional value and application , Meat economy, 2014, 11, 36-38
2. Konarska M., Sakowska A., Guzek D., Głąbska D., Wierzbicka A.,Factors determining the consumption of beef in the world and in Poland in the years 2000 - 2012 , SGGW in Warsaw
3. Lewandowski R.,Production conditions and intra- and extra-EU beef and veal trade in Poland , SGGW in Warsaw
4. Rycombel D.,Meat production - beef and veal - information for producers , Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, 2005
5. Janczy A.,Conjugated linoleic acid cis-9, trans-11 CLA and atherosclerotic changes , Scientific Papers of Gdynia Maritime University, 2012, 73, 5-15
6. http://www.befsztyk.pl/strony/Cielecina.html