Why ‘Beef’ is What’s For Dinner
French Influence on the English Language
Some days, nothing quite hits the spot like a cheeseburger. Maybe you like yours with just the basics — ketchup and/or mustard or mayo, a few pickles, cheese. Or maybe you want all the fixings, lettuce, tomato, onions, bacon (yes, please!).
Whatever your preference, imagine you have one just to your liking right in front of you. The bun is fresh, the veggies are crisp, the cheese is melted just right, all the perfect complement to the main attraction — the nice, thick, juicy … cow patty. (Cue the record scratching.)
If all of the English language followed the same format, we would eat “cow” or “cattle,” just like we dine on fried “fish” and roasted “chicken.” English does not use one word for the turkey on the farm and a totally different word for the turkey on your plate. So what gives with “beef?”
The most common theory — according to The Straight Dope, The Daily Meal, my college History of the English Language professor, and other sources —is that if William, Duke of Normandy, aka William the Conqueror, had not conquered England in 1066, we would be eating “cow” after all.
William, who invaded England and defeated King Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings, assumed the throne in October 1066. He and his men, all…