In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''
rump steak
Rump steak is a cut of beef. The rump is the division between the leg and the chine cut right through the aitch bone. It may refer to:
* A steak from the top half of an American-cut round steak primal
* A British- or Australian-cut steak fro ...
'' 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#Terminology, cattle. It contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the Beef tenderloin, tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak including T ...
where the
T-bone, porterhouse, and
club steaks are cut. The sirloin is divided into several types of steak. The
top sirloin
Top sirloin is a cut of beef from the primal loin or subprimal sirloin. Top sirloin steaks differ from sirloin steaks in that the bone and the tenderloin and bottom round muscles have been removed; the remaining major muscles are the gluteus ...
is the most prized of these and is specifically marked for sale under that name. The
bottom sirloin, 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
short loin
Short loin is the American name for a cut of beef that comes from the back of the Cattle#Terminology, cattle. It contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the Beef tenderloin, tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak including T ...
, while the American ''sirloin'' is called the
rump. Because of this difference in terminology, in these countries, the
T-bone steak 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 pe ...
''surloine'', itself derived from the
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
word ''surloigne'' (variant of ''surlonge''), that is, ''sur'' for 'above' and ''longe'' for 'loin'.
In Modern French, 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 knight, 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
See also
*
Cut of beef
During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, ...
*
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 ...
References
External links
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Cuts of beef
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