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Flank steak is a
steak A steak is a cut of meat sliced across muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally Grilling, grilled or Pan frying, fried, and can be diced or cooked in sauce. Steaks are most commonly cut from cattle (beefsteak), but can also ...
taken from the abdominal muscles of the cow, located just behind the plate and in front of the rear quarter. It is a long, flat cut with a significant grain that is known for its chewiness and thinness. As a popular food, flank steak is referred to differently across the globe and is prepared in a variety of ways in different cultures (one example being
Carne Asada Carne asada is grilled and sliced beef, usually skirt steak, flap steak, or flank steak though chuck steak (known as ''diezmillo'' in Spanish) can also be used. It is usually marinated then grilled or seared to impart a charred flavor. Car ...
).


Terminology

In
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, flank steak is called ''bife do vazio'' or ''pacú'' (many people confuse it with ''fraldinha'', which is actually the flap steak). It is popular in southern Brazil specifically in
Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...
state. The cut is also common in
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, where it is called '' sobrebarriga'' ("over the belly"); ''sobrebarriga a la brasa'' is a Colombian recipe for
braised Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, c ...
flank steak. Both Argentina and
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
call flank steak ''churrasquito de vacío'' or ''bife de vacío''. In Spain and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, flank steak is often referred to as ''falda.'' The names flank steak and skirt steak, which are two different cuts of beef, are often used interchangeably. For example,
Skirt steak Skirt steak is the US name for a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is distinct from hanger steak (US), also called skirt (UK) or onglet (France), a generally similar a ...
, which comes from the plate of the cattle, not the flank, is also referred to as '' sobrebarriga'' in Colombia.


History

Merriam-Webster records that the term "flank steak" was first used in 1902. More generally, steak originated in
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
and Italy in the 15th century. In the late 1800s and early 1900s flank steak was a less-known cut of beef in Europe. Butchers often sold it at lower prices than other cuts. Flank steak became popular in North America in the mid 1900s. Soldiers returning from WWI and WWII played a role in flank steak's rise of popularity in the west. This led to the popularity of the cut of beef that exists today in North America. Flank steak also has a history in South America. Cultural traditions in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil encourage the usage of the entire animal to not leave waste. As a result, unlike the North Americans who preferred the more tender cuts, South Americans have been enjoying flank steak since approximately the late 1700s.


Use

Flank steak is used in the London broil dish and as an alternative to the traditional
skirt steak Skirt steak is the US name for a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is distinct from hanger steak (US), also called skirt (UK) or onglet (France), a generally similar a ...
in '' fajitas''. More specifically, Carne Asada often contains flank steak instead of skirt steak. Flank steak can be grilled, pan-fried, broiled, or
braised Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, c ...
for increased tenderness. Grain (meat fibre) is noticeable in flank steaks. As a result, chefs must cut across the grain to make the meat more tender and result in a smooth cut. Flank steak is often used in
Asian cuisine Asian cuisine encompasses several significant regional cooking styles of Asia: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. Cuisine is a distinctive way of cooking practices and customs, usually associat ...
and is commonly sold in Chinese markets as "
stir-fry Stir frying ( zh, c= 炒, p=chǎo, w=ch'ao3, cy=cháau) is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries ...
beef." It is also served in French cuisine as an at-most medium-rare steak. Flank also serves as a common cut for steak jerky and is often enjoyed as a more expensive jerky option.


Preparation and cooking

Flank steak requires seasoning and
marination Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a Seasoning, seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. This sauce, called the marinade, can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine), or enzymatic (made with ...
, then cooked on a preheated grill at high heat. It requires a cut against the grain to result in its signature thin pieces.


Nutrition

Numbers may vary depending on the
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
and preparation.
US Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
standards state that 100 grams of flank steak is 192
calories The calorie is a unit of energy that originated from the caloric theory of heat. The large calorie, food calorie, dietary calorie, kilocalorie, or kilogram calorie is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one liter o ...
. Additionally, per 100 grams of steak, there are 28 grams of
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
, 8 grams of total
fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specif ...
, 79 milligrams of
cholesterol Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...
, and 56 milligrams of
sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
.


See also

* *
List of steak dishes This is a list of steak dishes. Steak is generally a cut of beef sliced perpendicular to the muscle fibers, or of fish cut perpendicular to the spine. Meat steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled, while fish steaks may also be bak ...
* Sirloin steak * Ribeye steak * Hanger steak *
Skirt steak Skirt steak is the US name for a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is distinct from hanger steak (US), also called skirt (UK) or onglet (France), a generally similar a ...
* Flap steak *
Steak A steak is a cut of meat sliced across muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally Grilling, grilled or Pan frying, fried, and can be diced or cooked in sauce. Steaks are most commonly cut from cattle (beefsteak), but can also ...


References


External links

* Cuts of beef Mexican cuisine {{mexico-cuisine-stub ca:Falda