ROASTBEEF

The Roast Beef is a cut of beef, flavored and baked in the oven.

This is a very common dish in England, traditionally served for dinner on Sundays (sunday roast) or finely cut and served in a sandwich with cheddar. It is produced from the first ribs of the loin and commonly served rare or pink, or cooked briefly in such a way as to leave the meat slightly raw inside, with a pink color, and, instead, more cooked on the outside.

Being a very tasty and versatile cut of meat, it soon became very widespread also in Italy and other European countries where it took on its own tradition in the preparation and in the different ways in which it is served, as well as in the spices used to flavor it.

The Roastbeef has a sweet, not savory flavor, and an intense aroma of meat in which the aromatic notes of the spices used to prepare it stand out. Its meat has a soft and tender texture, perfect for many preparations.

Everyone knows it in its most common and popular preparation where it is thinly cut, accompanied by roasted potatoes and seasoned with a drizzle of oil. It is also excellent if enjoyed in a sandwich with grilled zucchini and scamorza cheese. Also ideal as an appetizer accompanied by various sauces and a fresh salad.

Background

As anticipated, the consumption of Roast Beef has its roots in England and in the tradition of the Sunday roast. This Sunday ritual began to spread towards the end of the fifteenth century, during the reign of Henry VII. At that time, the consumption of meat was a very common habit in the palace, especially among the guards who, in fact, earned the nickname of Beefeaters (literally meaning “beef eaters”).

It was the Beefeaters who started the tradition of Sunday Roast Beef, preparing the meat early in the morning before going to mass. This tradition, with the passage of time, has consolidated and the habit has developed of leaving the meat to cook in the ovens of the towns, which were closed on Sundays, to recover it perfectly cooked once the mass is over.