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5: Veal Identification and Fabrication

  • Page ID
    20805
    • Marshall Welsh & William R. Thibodeaux
    • Finch Henry Job Corps Center & Nicholls State University
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    Veal is the meat of young, usually male, calves that are by- products of the dairy industry. Dairy cows must calve before they begin to give milk. Calves that are not used in the dairy herds are used in today's veal industry. Although veal may come from any calf under the age of nine months, most comes from calves slaughtered when they are 8 to 16 weeks old. Veal is lighter in color than beef, has a more delicate flavor and is generally tenderer. Young veal has a firm texture, light pink color and very little fat. As soon as a calf starts eating solid food, the iron in the food begins to turn the young animal's meat red. Meat from calves slaughtered when they are older than five months is called a calf. It tends to be a deeper red, with some marbling and external fat.

    Veal's mild flavor and low fat content makes it a popular meat, especially among those looking for an alternative to beef. Both classic and modern sauces complement its delicate flavor.

    Thumbnail: Two bonless veals cutlets in a dygon/olive oil souce with capers. (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported; BrendelSignature via Wikippedia)


    This page titled 5: Veal Identification and Fabrication is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Marshall Welsh & William R. Thibodeaux via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.