Why do we not eat pig or cow?
When I eat chicken, I call it chicken. Chicken wing; chicken drumsticks etc.
When I eat lamb, I call it lamb. Lamb shank; lamb cutlets.
So why do I not eat pig or cow? I eat pork or beef. Is there a reason for that?
You are viewing a single comment
Because of the Norman invasion. 1066 and all that. (edit: specifically, after a time the peasants spoke English and looked after the animals, the nobility spoke french and named the food, so we got the English words for the animals and the French words for most of the farm animals were used for the food made from them)
Interesting but doesn't quite answer the question.
Boeuf is the French word for beef, not cow. So the question is still why do we call it roast boeuf instead of roast vache?
To be more confusing, cow is the term for the female of the species, in this case cattle, but female whales are also called cows.
Does vache mean cow or does vache mean cattle?
The French eating it called it beef, the English raising it called it cow. The french didn't call it roast cow because they were eating it as food, thus beef.
The above poster explained your question already.
Quand je mange du poulet, je l'appelle poulet. Aile de poulet; pilons de poulet etc.
Quand je mange de l'agneau, je l'appelle agneau. Jarret d'agneau; côtelettes d'agneau.
Alors pourquoi est-ce que je ne mange pas de cochon ou de vache ? Je mange du porc ou du boeuf.
Quelle est la raison de ceci?
Chicken and lamb were more commonly seen and interacted with by the people that ate them, cows and pigs were not.
Parceque un porc ou un boeuf ça design aussi l'animal.
Boeuf is the male cow. Vache is a female.
Perfect and succinct answer.