In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''
rump steak'' in British butchery) is cut from the sirloin, the subprimal posterior to the
short loin where the
T-bone, porterhouse, and
club steaks are cut. The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak. The
top sirloin is the most prized of these and is specifically marked for sale under that name. The
bottom sirloin, which is less tender and much larger, is typically marked for sale simply as "sirloin steak". The bottom sirloin, in turn, connects to the sirloin tip roast.
In a common British, South African, and Australian butchery, the word ''sirloin'' refers to cuts of meat from the upper middle of the animal, similar to the American
short loin, while the American ''sirloin'' is called the
rump. Because of this difference in terminology, in these countries, the
T-bone steak is regarded as a cut of the sirloin.
Etymology
The word ''sirloin'' derives from the
Middle English ''surloine'', itself derived from the
Old French word ''surloigne'' (variant of ''surlonge''), that is, ''sur'' for 'above' and ''longe'' for 'loin'.
In
Modern French, the cut of meat is called ''aloyau'' or ''faux-filet''.
A fictitious etymology explains the name as being derived from an occasion when a king of England
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
the loin of beef as "Sir loin". In fact, though the pun is reported as early as 1630, and the notion of a king knighting it dates to 1655, the name predates any of the kings who are mentioned.
The story at most influenced the spelling ''sir'' rather than ''sur''.
Dishes
See also
*
Cut of beef
*
List of steak dishes
References
External links
*
Cuts of beef
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