Why Is It Called “Corned” Beef?

It doesn't really look much like beef at all.  It certainly doesn't taste like corn.  All you know is that you eat as much of it as you can on March 17th and you say that it's to soak up the green beer.  So why is it called "corned beef?"

The short answer is that it's the way that it's cured.  Corned beef is salty tasting because they cure it in a salty/spicy  brine.  If you know me, you know that I love salty beef.  But other than the incredible tastiness of the salty beef, why would they cure it in salt.

This is where the "corned" part comes in.  Back in the days before refrigerators kept food cold, butchers had to find a way to keep it from getting mold and bacteria.  The solution:  cure it in a salty brine to keep the bacteria away.

The salt granules sometimes resembled corn kernels that were packed around the beef brisket.  Which is where the term "corned beef" came from.  Well...that's it in a nutshell anyway.  For a more complete history, click here.