Later Experiences with Corned Beef & More

Later Experiences with Corned Beef

I don’t remember eating a lot of corned beef after that growing up.

My next vivid memory of corned beef was during my first year of university.

A good friend always kept a stash in her room.

More recently, when I found myself rummaging through a good student-friend’s cupboard in search of ingredients to make a meal, I was once more reminded of corned beef when I ended up having a tasty corned beef sandwich.

This corned beef was from Kenya.

With an adult’s mind, this time, I was a bit more inquisitive about what this product actually was.

What Is in Corned Beef?

The ingredients list on the label of the Heinz tin from which I got the corned beef read: cooked beef, beef, water, salt, sugar, and sodium nitrite, which I’ve since come to find out is a pretty typical list of ingredients for canned corned beef.

I also learned from the label that the corned beef I was eating was a product of Brazil which, along with Argentina, is one of the world’s largest producers of corned beef.

Canned Meat Kenya/Canned Beef Kenya

Canned meat is not a popular product in Kenya, though it is readily available in most good supermarkets.

At most supermarkets in Kenya’s larger cities, you should be able to find not only corned beef on the shelf, but also canned sausages, tuna, sardines, and spam.

Where Does Corned Beef Originate From?

Through a quick search on the Internet (how did we live before the Internet?!), I found out that corned beef was a main staple for British solders during World War I, especially when troops found themselves separated from their supplies when in enemy territory.

A soldier eating Corned Beef — Sgt. Arnold Bourdreau, an American soldier, eating canned corned beef in Italy in 1945. National Archives photo

Canned Corned Beef: The Reason Behind the Shape of a Corned Beef Tin

I also learned that the reason that corned beef is packed in the distinctively shaped container that it comes in is to enable the corned beef to slide out as one piece so that it can easily be sliced (I have to try that. I’ve never thought of slicing corned beef—I just scoop it out. 🙂 ).

How about when it comes to food and health?

Typically, corned beef contains 12% fat and 2.3% salt, so basically it is not the healthiest food product.

Corned Beef Hash: where did corned beef hash originate

Still, on occasion, I love me some corned beef.

Particularly, I love it the way my paternal aunt serves it: fried (and I don’t mean shallow fried) with onions as part of a sumptuous breakfast. I can never get enough!

How do you like your corned beef (buy some on Amazon now)?

I can’t wait to hear all about it.

Biche

Photo Credits: DefenseMediaNetwork

Table of Contents