What Exactly Is Veal And Why Is It So Expensive? While not nearly as ubiquitous as chicken, beef, pork, veal francese even lamb, veal is a relatively popular protein option in both restaurants and home kitchens.

Veal is eaten in many forms: chops, shanks, cutlets, and ground meat, to name a few. Allrecipes defines veal as a male calf under 18 weeks old. Cattle that are slaughtered and eaten after 12 months of age are officially considered “beef. The USDA notes that veal has multiple grades: prime, choice, good, standard, and utility, which notes the quality of the cut. The agency also explains that while hormones aren’t used in veal raising, antibiotics may be.

A statistic from the USDA’s Economic Research Service in 2008 says that Americans consume less than a pound of veal per year per person. What exactly causes the stigma for the veal industry? If it comes from the same animal as beef, what causes such a difference? Historically, opposition to the veal industry is similar to ethical complaints against foie gras, namely that concern for the animals’ welfare is nearly nonexistent at best, and abusive and harmful at worst. Traditionally, veal production involved removing newborn calves from their mothers just after birth and limiting their movement in order to ensure uber-tender flesh. In the 1980s, veal production encountered large backlash from animal rights activists, as reported in outlets like the Washington Post.

Since then, there have been changes, including elimination of veal crates, special pasture raising, allowing babies to stay with their mothers, and so on. How has the industry’s treatment of animals improved? While the treatment of veal is now more paramount than ever, the ability to monitor every single cattle farmer raising veal is untenable. It’s nearly impossible to ensure that they’re all following the current, more humane conditions for raising veal calves. Overall, however, the efforts to promote animal welfare and ethically raised animals prior to slaughter has become a primary focus in recent years, and in some instances, has led to changes in the law. Although Americans do not eat much veal, Edible Communities notes that as more humanely raised veal is produced, many feel much more comfortable in their consumption of the meat.

Still, veal production remains a complicated issue. For a food made from the flesh of infant cows, veal must surely taste exquisite. After all, if it did not, we would be butchering babies for no good reason. Well, the thing with veal is that the taste matters less than the texture.

Filet mignon, the once-prized steak, receives a good blasting on a Thrillist piece in which chefs picked their favorite and worst meats. It’s trash,” chef Michael White bluntly states. As veal is simply a more tender and youthful beef, you can approach cooking it in the same way that you could in the case of beef. You can have it ground for bolognese or burgers, breaded to serve as the basis for a cutlet, seared as short ribs, stuffed like a turkey breast, or skewered like a kebab. One dish that is specifically made with veal in mind is osso buco, which means “pierced bone” in Italian.

Our recipe for the dish comes from Keith Kamikawa and is time-consuming, but not challenging. Start by tying up some veal shanks with twine. Season and sear the meat, then deglaze the pan with wine. Saute some mirepoix and garlic in butter, then add broth, diced tomatoes, herbs, and more wine. Submerge the veal shanks and let everything braise for two hours.