Definition: Meat, in its broadest definition, is animal tissue used as food. Most often it refers to skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to non-muscle organs, including lungs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow and kidneys. The word meat is also used by the meat packing and butchering industry in a more restrictive sense - the flesh of mammalian species (pigs, cattle, etc.) raised and butchered for human consumption, to the exclusion of fish, poultry, and eggs. Eggs and seafood are rarely referred to as meat even though they consist of animal tissue. Animals that consume only or mostly animals are carnivores.

The meat packing industry slaughters, processes, and distributes meats for human consumption in many countries.

 

The word meat comes from the Old English word mete, which referred to food in general. Mad in Danish, mat in Swedish and Norwegian, and matur in Icelandic, still mean food. The narrower sense that refers to meat as not including fish, developed over the past few hundred years and has religious influences. The distinction between fish and "meat" is codified by Jewish laws of kashrut regarding the mixing of milk and meat, which does not forbid the mixing of milk and fish. Modern halakha (Jewish law) on kashrut classifies the flesh of both mammals and birds as "meat"; fish are considered to be parve (also spelled parev, pareve; Yiddish: פארעוו parev), neither meat nor dairy. The Catholic dietary restriction to "meat" on Fridays also does not apply to the cooking and eating of fish.

Meaty also shares some of the sexual connotations that flesh carries, and can be used to refer to the human body, often in a way that is considered vulgar or demeaning, as in the phrase meat market, which, in addition to simply denoting a market where meat is sold, can also be a slang phrase referring to a place or situation where humans are treated or viewed as commodities, especially a place where one looks for a casual encounter. This connotation has also existed for at least 500 years.http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meat+market[citation needed]

Methods of preparation

Various meats being cooked on a grill.
Processed meat in American grocery storeMeat is prepared in many ways, as steaks, in stews, fondue, or as dried meat. It may be ground then formed into patties (as burgers or croquettes), loaves, or sausages, or used in loose form (as in "sloppy joe" or Bolognese sauce). Some meats are cured, by smoking, pickling, preserving in salt or brine (see salted meat and curing). Others are marinated and barbecued, or simply boiled, roasted, or fried. Meat is generally eaten cooked, but there are many traditional recipes that call for raw beef, veal or fish. Meat is often spiced or seasoned, as in most sausages. Meat dishes are usually described by their source (animal and part of body) and method of preparation.

Meat is a typical base for making sandwiches. Popular sandwich meats include ham, pork, salami and other sausages, and beef, such as steak, roast beef, corned beef, and pastrami. Meat can also be molded or pressed (common for products that include offal, such as haggis and scrapple) and canned.


Nutritional benefits and concerns
Further information: Nutrition, Foodborne illness, Health concerns associated with red meat
All muscle tissue is very high in protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. Muscle tissue is very low in carbohydrates and contains no fiber [1]. The fat content of meat can vary widely depending on the species and breed of animal, the way in which the animal was raised including what it was fed, the anatomical part of its body, and the methods of butchering and cooking. Wild animals such as deer are typically leaner than farm animals, leading those concerned about fat content to choose game such as venison, despite the increased danger of exposure to chronic wasting disease [2]; however, centuries of breeding meat animals for size and fatness is being reversed by consumer demand for meat with less fat. Animal fat is relatively high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which have been linked to various health problems, including heart disease and arteriosclerosis. [c

Typical Meat Nutritional Content
from 110 grams (4 oz) Source calories protein carbs fat
fish 110–140 20–25 g 0 g 1–5 g
chicken breast 160 28 g 0 g 7 g
lamb 250 30 g 0 g 14 g
steak (beef) 275 30 g 0 g 18 g
T-bone 450 25 g 0 g 35 g

The table compares the nutritional content of several types of meat. While each kind of meat has about the same content of protein and carbohydrates, there is a very wide range of fat content. It is the additional fat that contributes most to the calorie content of meat, and to concerns about dietary health. A famous study, the Nurses' Health Study, followed about one-hundred-thousand female nurses and their eating habits. Nurses who ate the largest amount of animal fat were twice as likely to develop colon cancer as the nurses who ate the least amount of animal fat.

List of meat animals

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The following is a list of animals and their culinary names that humans eat. It includes animals which some cultures never eat or do not consider meat, as well as endangered species.

Beef (bovines):
American Bison
Carabao
Cattle
Veal (calves)
Yak
Canids:
Dog
Fox
Wolf
Coyote
Felines:
Cat
Lion
Tiger
Equines:
Horse
Donkey
Zebra
Lagomorphs:
Hare
Pika
Rabbit
Marsupials:
Kangaroo
Opossum
Wallaby
Ovis (sheep):
Lamb
Domestic Sheep
Bighorn sheep
Caprae (goats)
Domestic Goat
Ibex
Wild goat
Barbary Sheep
Dall Sheep
Mountain Goat
Suidae (swine):
Domestic pig
Peccary (Javelina)
Wild boar
Red River Hog
Bushpig
Venison (Cervidae):
Caribou (reindeer)
Deer
Moose
Antelope
Giraffe
Red deer
Primates:
Gorilla
Orangutan
Chimpanzee
Bonobo
Human (cannibalism) (unlawful and illegal consumption)
Monkey
Rodents:
Beaver
Guinea pig
Capybara
Muskrat
Rat
Squirrel
Greater Cane Rat ("Grasscutter")
Paca (Agouti or tepezcuintle)
Cetaceans:
Whale
Dolphin
Pinnipeds:
Walrus
Earless seal
Eared seal
Other mammals:
Bear
Elephant
Raccoon
Rhinoceros
Weasel
Poultry (birds):
Chicken
Duck
Goose
Turkey
Game birds:
Dove
New World quail
Ostrich
Emu
Pheasant
Grouse
Partridge
Crow
Quail
Pigeon
Woodcock
Ptarmigan
Reptiles:
Turtle
Lizard
Snake
Iguana
Crocodile
Alligator
Amphibians:
Frog
Salamander
Toad
Fish:
Anchovy
Basa
Bass
Catfish
Carp
Cod
Crappie
Eel
Flounder
Grouper
Haddock
Halibut
Herring
Kingfish
Mackerel
Mahi Mahi
Marlin
Orange Roughy
Perch
Pike
Pollock
Salmon
Sardine
Shark
Snapper
Sole
Swordfish
Tilapia
Trout
Tuna
Walleye
Insects:
Grasshoppers
Chapulines
Ants
Escamoles
Bees
Cockroaches
Beetles
Jumiles
Larvae:
Grubs
Caterpillars
Maguey worm
Crustaceans:
Crab
Crayfish
Lobster
Prawn
Shrimp
Other arthropods
Spiders
Scorpions
Mollusks:
Abalone
Clam
Conch
Mussel
Oyster
Scallop
Snail (also see escargots)
Cephalopods:
Cuttlefish
Octopus
Squid
Artificial meat:
Imitation meat
In vitro meat

Taxonomy and cuisine
Note that some classifications of meat are taxonomically paraphyletic, and hence are not listed above, such as seafood (which includes only some mammals) and shellfish (which is a collective term for mollusks and crustaceans, two very distantly related groups; within the mollusks, it also excludes land snails and cephalopods (octopus, squid, etc.)).