Loin

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The loins, or lumbus, are the sides between the lower ribs and pelvis, and the lower part of the back. [1] [2] [3] The term is used to describe the anatomy of humans and quadrupeds, such as horses, [4] [5] pigs, [6] [7] or cattle. [8] The anatomical reference also applies to particular cuts of meat, including tenderloin or sirloin steak. [2]

Contents

Human anatomy

In human anatomy, the term "loin" or "loins" refers to the side of the human body below the rib cage to just above the pelvis. [1] It is frequently used to reference the general area below the ribs. While the term "loin" is generally not used in medical science, [9] [ failed verification ] some disorders do include the term. [10] [ failed verification ]

The lumbar region of the spinal column is located in the loin area of the body. [11]

Society and culture

In contemporary usage, the term appears primarily in two contexts: where loins are "girded" in preparation for a challenge, or else euphemistically referring to human genitals. [1] [2] In literature or poetry, to feel a "stirring" in one's loins may suggest sexual excitement.

The word "loincloth" in the Bible, is used to refer to an item of clothing which covers the loins. [12] The "fruit" of one's loins refers to offspring, [13] and "fruit of my loins" also appears in the King James Version. [14]

Loins may refer generally to the lower area of the body, [15] much like the term "below the belt" derives from a belt worn at the waist. [16]

When the long tunic of the Ancient era was the typical garment, the phrase "gird one's loins" described the process of raising and securing the lower portion of the tunic between one's legs to increase mobility for work or battle. [17] In the modern age, it has become an idiom meaning to prepare oneself for action, as in:

If your counselor says your aptitude scores show that you have the ability [ ... ], gird up your loins and start making a valiant try right now. [18]

Loins in butchery

US Beef cuts.svg
American-tradition cuts
British Beef Cuts.svg
British-tradition cuts
When a carcass is butchered, it is divided into many sections

Butchers refer to the section of meat below the rib cage, but above the round (in a carcass hanging from the head end) as loin. Various names of meats further butchered from the loin section of cattle and pig contain the name "loin" such as tenderloin and sirloin. In American butchery of beef, the loin section of beef is further divided and named sirloin, [19] top sirloin, [19] short loin [19] and tenderloin. [19]

In the British butchery of beef, the same section is generally referred to as the "rump".

Cuts of pork of this section include pork loin and pork tenderloin. [20]

It has been suggested by culinary professionals that tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef one can get. [21] The loin section of beef is fairly popular among consumers for its low fat qualities. [20] It is the source of filet mignon.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beefsteak</span> Flat cut of beef

A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from 120 to 600 grams. Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-bone steak</span> Beefsteak cut from the short loin, including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side

The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin. Both steaks include a T-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and thus include more tenderloin steak, along with a large strip steak. T-bone steaks are cut closer to the front, and contain a smaller section of tenderloin. The smaller portion of a T-bone, when sold alone, is known as a filet mignon, especially if cut from the small forward end of the tenderloin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef aging</span> Process of preparing beef for consumption

Beef aging or ageing is a process of preparing beef for consumption by aging it, in order to break down the connective tissue within the meat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef tenderloin</span> Cut from the loin of beef

A beef tenderloin, known as an eye fillet in Australasia, filet in France, filé mignon in Brazil, and fillet in the United Kingdom and South Africa, is cut from the loin of beef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filet mignon</span> Cut of beef

Filet mignon is a cut of meat taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin, or psoas major of a cow. In French, it mostly refers to cuts of pork tenderloin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strip steak</span> Type of beef steak

The strip steak is a cut of beef steaks from the short loin of a cow. It consists of a muscle that does little work, the longissimus, making the meat particularly tender, although not as tender as the nearby psoas major or tenderloin. Unlike the tenderloin, the longissimus is a sizable muscle, allowing it to be cut into larger portions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork chop</span> Type of meat cut

A pork chop, like other meat chops, is a loin cut taken perpendicular to the spine of the pig and is usually a rib or part of a vertebra. Pork chops are unprocessed and leaner than other cuts. Chops are commonly served as an individual portion, and can be accompanied with applesauce, vegetables, and other sides. Pork is one of the most commonly consumed meats in the world. In the United States, pork chops are the most commonly consumed meat cut from the pork loin and account for 10% of total pork consumption.

Sir Loin, sirloin, or variant, may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork ribs</span> Cut of pork

Pork ribs are a cut of pork popular in Western and Asian cuisines. The ribcage of a domestic pig, meat and bones together, is cut into usable pieces, prepared by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then served.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut of beef</span> Sections of cattle

During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes more tender as distance from hoof and horn increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short loin</span>

Short loin is the American name for a cut of beef that comes from the back of the cattle. It contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak including porterhouse, strip steak, and T-bone. The T-bone is a cut that contains less of the tenderloin than does the porterhouse. Webster's Dictionary defines it as "a portion of the hindquarter of beef immediately behind the ribs that is usually cut into steaks." The short loin is considered a tender beef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top sirloin</span> Cut of beef from the primal loin or subprimal sirloin

Top sirloin is a cut of beef from the primal loin or subprimal sirloin. Top sirloin steaks differ from sirloin steaks in that the bone and the tenderloin and bottom round muscles have been removed; the remaining major muscles are the gluteus medius and biceps femoris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primal cut</span> Piece of meat initially separated during butchering

A primal cut or cut of meat is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef or the ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic for pork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meat chop</span> Cut of meat served as individual portion

A meat chop is a cut of meat cut perpendicular to the spine, and usually containing a rib or riblet part of a vertebra and served as an individual portion. The most common kinds of meat chops are pork and lamb. A thin boneless chop, or one with only the rib bone, may be called a cutlet, though the difference is not always clear. The term "chop" is not usually used for beef, but a T-bone steak is essentially a loin chop, a rib steak and a rib cutlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean barbecue</span> Regional style of food preparation

Korean barbecue is a popular method in Korean cuisine of grilling meat, typically beef, pork or chicken. Such dishes are often prepared on gas or charcoal grills built into the dining table itself. Some Korean restaurants that do not have built-in grills provide customers with portable stoves for diners to use at their tables. Alternatively, a chef uses a centrally displayed grill to prepare dishes that are made to order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loin chop</span>

Loin chops can refer to either a commercial cut of pork, or lamb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut of pork</span> Piece of pig meat consumed as food by humans

The cuts of pork are the different parts of the pig which are consumed as food by humans. The terminology and extent of each cut varies from country to country. There are between four and six primal cuts, which are the large parts in which the pig is first cut: the shoulder, loin, belly and leg. These are often sold wholesale, as are other parts of the pig with less meat, such as the head, feet and tail. Retail cuts are the specific cuts which are used to obtain different kinds of meat, such as tenderloin and ham. There are at least 25 Iberian pork cuts, including jamón.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cured pork tenderloin</span> Meat delicacy

Cured pork tenderloin is found in various cuisines in Mediterranean Europe and South America. It is typically salted or brined then dry-cured or smoked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak</span> Flat cut of meat

A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patties, such as hamburgers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "loin". Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  2. 1 2 3 "loin". Compact Oxford English dictionary of current English. London: Oxford U.P. 2005. ISBN   0-19-861022-X . Retrieved 2008-08-13.[ dead link ]
  3. "Surface Anatomy of the Back - Human Anatomy". Theodora.com. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  4. "Body Parts of the Horse". Gaited Horses. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  5. "Parts of the Horse Clickable Image - Parts of the Horse The Loin". Horses.about.com. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  6. "Pork Tenderloin". All Recipes. Archived from the original on 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  7. "Do You Know the Parts of Your Pet Pig?". United Pet Pig Registry, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-13. extracted from Reeves, David E.; H. Neil Becker; American Association of Swine Practitioners (1993). Care and management of miniature pet pigs: guidelines for the veterinary practitioner. Santa Barbara, California: Veterinary Practice Pub. Co. ISBN   0-9603534-3-7.
  8. "Recipes - Roast Beef Tenderloin". Cooks.com. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  9. "Loin definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms". Medterms.com. 1998-03-26. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  10. "Loin Pain Hematuria Syndrome". Webmd.com. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  11. "Anatomy - Lumbar Spine". Back.com. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  12. "BibleTab". Loincloth. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  13. "TheFreeDictionary Idoms Collection". Fruit of [his\my] Loin. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  14. "ScriptureText". Acts 2:30. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  15. "GraceCathedral". Sermon Exserpts. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  16. "Phrases.org.uk". Phrase Meanings: Below the Belt. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  17. G. Johannes Botterweck & Helmer Ringgren (1981). Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Vol. 4. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 442. ISBN   9780802823281 . Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  18. Leslie L. Nason, Ed. D. (6 October 1965), "School of your Choice", Lawrence Daily Journal, p. 3, retrieved 1 February 2016
  19. 1 2 3 4 "GourmetSleuth". Guide to Beef Cuts. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  20. 1 2 Rattray, Diana. "Pork Tenderloin Recipes". About.com . Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  21. "Steak: Grades & Cuts - Know what beef to buy". Bbq.about.com. 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2010-03-17.