Beef is the meat that comes from cows, usually eaten as steaks, roasts, or ground meat. People around the world cook beef in many different ways.
“Beef” comes from Old French “boef,” from Latin “bovem,” meaning ox or cow. After the Norman Conquest, French words became common for meats eaten at the table, while English words stayed for the animals.
The reason we say “cow” in the field but “beef” on the plate is historical class difference: English-speaking farmers raised the animals, French-speaking nobles ate the meat. That’s also why we have “pig” vs. “pork” and “sheep” vs. “mutton.”
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