In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''

rump steak Rump steak is a cut of beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred spec ...

'' in British butchery) is cut from the sirloin, the subprimal posterior to the

short loin Short loin is the American name for a cut of beef that comes from the back of the cattle. It contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak including porterhouse, strip steak (Kansas City ...

where the T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut. The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak. The

top sirloin A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a f ...

is the most prized of these and is specifically marked for sale under that name. The

bottom sirloin The bottom sirloin steak is a steak cut from the back of the animal below top sirloin and above the flank. This cut can also be referred to as sirloin butt and thick flank. The meat is further cut into three different portions called ball tip, ...

, which is less tender and much larger, is typically marked for sale simply as "sirloin steak". The bottom sirloin, in turn, connects to the sirloin tip roast. In a common British, South African, and Australian butchery, the word ''sirloin'' refers to cuts of meat from the upper middle of the animal, similar to the American

, while the American ''sirloin'' is called the rump. Because of this difference in terminology, in these countries, the

T-bone steak The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each s ...

is regarded as a cut of the sirloin.

Etymology

The word ''sirloin'' derives from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

''surloine'', itself derived from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

word ''surloigne'' (variant of ''surlonge''), that is, ''sur'' for 'above' and ''longe'' for 'loin'. In

Modern French French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some Europe ...

, the cut of meat is called ''aloyau'' or ''faux-filet''. A fictitious etymology explains the name as being derived from an occasion when a king of England knighted the loin of beef as "Sir loin". In fact, though the pun is reported as early as 1630, and the notion of a king knighting it dates to 1655, the name predates any of the kings who are mentioned. The story at most influenced the spelling ''sir'' rather than ''sur''.

Dishes

References

External links

* Cuts of beef {{meat-stub

Etymology

Dishes

See also

References

External links