| − | '''Corned beef''' is a form of curing one of the several less-tender cuts of [[beef]] like the brisket, rump, or round.<ref>http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/A-Z_Index/index.asp USDA Index</ref> It has nothing to do with corn. The name comes from [[Anglo-Saxon]] times before refrigeration. In those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse “corns” of [[salt]]. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it. Today, [[brine|brining]] has replaced the dry salt cure, but the name “corned beef” is still used, rather than “brined” or “[[pickle]]d” beef. Commonly used spices that give corned beef its distinctive [[flavor]] are peppercorns and bay leaf. Corned beef is common in the cuisines of [[Irish]], [[Jewish]], and [[Eastern Europe]]an communities in both the [[United States]] and their original home countries. | + | '''Corned beef''' is a form of curing one of the several less-tender cuts of [[beef]] like the brisket, rump, or round.<ref>http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/A-Z_Index/index.asp USDA Index</ref> It has nothing to do with corn. The name comes from [[Anglo-Saxon]] times before refrigeration. In those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse “corns” of [[salt]]. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it. Today, [[brine]] has replaced the dry salt, but the name “corned beef” is still used, rather than “brined” or “[[pickle]]d” beef. Commonly used spices that give corned beef its distinctive [[flavor]] are peppercorns and bay leaf. Corned beef is common in the cuisines of [[Irish]], [[Jewish]], and [[Eastern Europe]]an communities in both the [[United States]] and their original home countries. |