veal

veal, meat of calves slaughtered between 3 and 14 weeks, delicate in flavour, pale grayish white in colour, firm and fine-grained, with velvety texture. It has no marbling, and the small amount of fat covering is firm and white. In modern livestock farming, calves bred to yield high-quality veal are raised indoors under controlled temperatures (60–65 °F [16–18 °C]) and intensively fed on milk, high-protein calf meal, or both. Herbaceous foods are excluded, resulting in an iron deficiency producing the desirable light colour in the meat. Although the meat of an animal from 15 weeks to one year is technically called calf, it is frequently marketed as veal.

Wholesale cuts, usually smaller than comparable beef cuts, vary in different countries. Because of its high amount of connective tissue and low fat content, large cuts of veal require long, slow cooking. Fat in the form of lard or salt pork may be added to avoid dryness. Veal is often served rare in European countries but is usually thoroughly cooked in the U.S. Cuts such as the leg, loin, shoulder, and breast are usually roasted, often boned and stuffed, or braised. Schnitzel, pan-fried cutlets coated with bread crumbs, are a specialty of Germany and Austria. Scallops, small thin slices—called scallopine in Italy and escalopes or médaillons in France—may be cooked in wine or other sauces.