Which Part of the Animal Do These Cuts of Meats Come From?

By: Allison Lips
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Which Part of the Animal Do These Cuts of Meats Come From?
Image: Claudia Totir/Moment/gettyimages

About This Quiz

There are hundreds of cuts of meat. While some animals share names for their different parts, there are many that have unique names for each cut of their meat, not all of which are carried in the typical supermarket. 

In your average supermarket, you'll find a variety of steaks, different cuts of lamb, plenty of pork and bacon, whole chickens, and chickens chopped into parts. You probably won't find alligator, elk, venison, and the gamier meats that hunters enjoy. 

If you're a meat eater, this quiz may introduce you to new cuts of meat. Prior to this, you may not have known to look for a rump medallion, a frenched cutlet, or the difference between a ham butt end and a ham shank end. At the very least, once you're finished, you're going to want to look for a few new recipes, so that you can change dinner up a bit.

Are you a fan of unique cuts of meat? Would you eat a different steak every day of the week if it was healthy? Do you think you know as much about meat as your average butcher? Will you do so well on this quiz that once you're done, you will decide to become a butcher? 

What part of a pig is used to make Canadian bacon?
Legs
Loins
Cheeks
Feet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Canadian bacon is also called back bacon. In Canada, that's actually the preferred term.

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What part of a cow does brisket come from?
The legs
The lower chest
The tail
The heart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brisket can come from the lower chest or the breast. It is usually cooked low and slow.

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Where would you get a top round steak from?
Front leg of a cow
The stomach
Rear leg of a cow
The ear
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A round steak can also be called a topside steak or a silverside steak. The former is commonly used in the United States and the latter in the United Kingdom.

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On a cow, where would you find the cut of meat used for a sirloin steak?
Between the round and the short loin
Between the chuck and the rib
Between the brisket and the flank
Above the front shank
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The sirloin of a cow is cut into multiple steaks. However, if you are purchasing sirloin steak, you will most likely get a piece of the bottom sirloin. Inn the United Kingdom, it is called a striploin.

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Which part of the pig is used for baby back ribs?
Attached to the front leg
Connected to the backbone
A cut of loin
The entire snoot
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Baby back ribs are connected to the backbone and are under the loin muscle. They are considered the most tender and the leanest ribs from a pig.

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What part of a lamb is not usually used in a lamb chop?
Rib
Loin
Sirloin
Leg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are a lot of cuts of meat that can be called "lamb chops." There are boneless blade chops, loin chops, shoulder blade chops, and shoulder arm chops.

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Where do spareribs come from?
Pig belly
Pig back
Pig legs
Pig tail
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While pork spareribs are popular, there are also lamb spareribs. Lamb spareribs have less meat than pork spareribs.

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When eaten, the leg of a pig is more commonly referred to as what?
Bacon
Ribs
Drumsticks
Ham
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are two cuts of meat with ham in the name: ham butt end and ham shank end. The ham butt end is the upper leg portion, which contains more meat and fat than the lower leg. The ham shank end is leaner and is often more processed.

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Where would you find the cut of pig used for pork chops?
Ribs and loin
Jowl and ears
Hocks and belly
Shoulder and neck
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pork chops are usually the most expensive cut of pork. While ribs and loin are the most common pork chops, you can also find sirloin chops, boneless chops, and shoulder chops.

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London broil is made using which cut from a cow?
Round steak
Chuck
Plate
Shank
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

London broil is technically not a specific cut of meat, which means anything can be labeled with the name. The term refers to the way it's cooked.

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If you went to the butcher and ordered a lamb shank, which part of a lamb would you receive?
Upper leg
Lower leg
Feet
Belly
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A lamb shank is low in fat content and has connective tissues. To break down the tough connective tissue, chefs recommend that the cut is cooked slow and in some type of liquid.

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What part of the cow is used for filet mignon?
Chuck
Tenderloin
Brisket
Short loin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you order filet mignon in France, you are more likely to get a cut of pork than of beef. To get the same cut of meat in France, you'd need to ask for filet de bœuf.

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Where on a deer would you get venison osso bucco?
Backstrips
Shank
Hindquarter
Shoulder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Osso bucco is an Italian dish traditionally made with lamb. In English, osso buco translates as "bone with a hole." In the middle of your shank, you will find a piece of the leg bone.

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What part of a chicken do drumsticks come from?
Bottom leg
Thighs
Breast
Calf
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The two parts of a chicken leg are the thigh and the drumstick. A stuffed boneless leg is called a ballotine.

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Where on a chicken would you find the gizzard?
Part of a leg
Part of the digestive track
Part of its tail
Part of its back
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The gizzard on a chicken helps it grind up food, so that the chicken can digest it. If you plan on cooking gizzards, you should cook them slowly at a low temperature. Otherwise, the meat will become chewy.

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What part of an animal do natural sausage casings come from?
Eyes
Lungs
Intestines
Heart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While there are synthetic sausage casing that are made out of collagen, cellulose, or plastic, natural sausage cases are made from the submucosa. The intestines used for sausage can come from pigs, cows, goat, and sheep.

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From where on a deer is stew meat usually taken?
Face
Legs
Neck
Tail
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Venison can be used like beef. You can use the neck meat for stews or soup.

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Where on a cow would you find the meat for a tenderloin steak?
Near the head
Near the short loin
Part of the tongue
Part of the leg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tenderloin steaks are also called eye filets and medallions. Some dishes the meat is used in are chateaubriand, beef wellington, beef stroganoff, and steak tartare.

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On a chicken, thighs come from which part?
Wing
Breast
Below the knee joint
Above the knee joint
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chicken thighs are dark meat. It also has intramuscular fat, which adds flavor.

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Where would you find the cuts of meat known as oxtail?
By a cow's tail
Face
Belly
Leg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The oxtail is typically sold with the bone in. Usually, this cut of meat weighs between 2 to 4 pounds.

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Where can tripe be found?
Face
Tail
Stomach
Feet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tripe can be found in cattle and sheep. It often comes partially cooked because it is difficult to cook at home. Many tripe recipes are soups and stews.

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Where on a cow would you find the meat for a New York Strip steak?
Flanks
Brisket
Middle of ribcage
Shanks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A strip steak can be called a New York Strip, a Kansas City Strip, and a porterhouse steak, among other names. It is considered a lower grade than rib eye and tenderloin steaks.

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Where would you find the meat for a ribeye steak?
Eyes
Round
Ribs
Sirloin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A ribeye steak is sometimes called a market steak or a Delmonico steak. When looking for a good one at the supermarket, you want to look for one that is marbled because they are supposed to have a richer flavor and are more tender.

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Where would you find an eye round roast on a cow?
Above the rear shank
Chuck area
Plate area
Flank area
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The eye round is leaner and less tender than other cuts of beef. It is often used for marinating or as a steak.

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What part of a cow is called the tri-tip?
Sirloin
Rib
Chuck
Short loin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The tri-tip is sometimes called a tip roast or a triangle roast. It is found at the intersection where the sirloin, round, and flank cuts meet.

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What part of a cow does a hangar steak come from?
Throat
Diaphragm
Heart
Lungs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The hanger steak is only from steers. It is connected to the spine and the last rib.

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Where on a pig would you find pork collar?
Shoulder
Shank
Loin
Neck
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pork collar is sometimes called a pork neck filet or a collar butt steak. They can be barbecued, stir-fried, or grilled.

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What part of a lamb does the cut leg of lamb come from?
Neck
Leg
Stomach
Butt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If not prepared properly, the leg of lamb can be tough. It is usually roasted and often served on holidays.

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Where would you get the meat for a sweetbread?
Thymus gland of a cow
Lungs of a cow
Spleen of a cow
Liver of a cow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sweetbreads are commonly made out of the thymus and pancreas. However, the parotid gland, the heart, the sublingual gland, and even the testicles can be used to make sweetbread.

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What part of the pig is side bacon found?
Belly
Leg
Cheeks
Butt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the United States, side bacon is the most popular type of bacon. It is also called streaky bacon.

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Where on a cow is the beef shank located?
Plate
Brisket
Feet
Leg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The shank is typically cut into shank cross-cuts. Beef shank is not as popular as veal and lamb shank because it is tougher.

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Where does a beef skirt steak come from?
Ribs
Legs
Intestines
Butt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Skirt steak is located in what is known as the beef plate primal. There is an inside and an outside skirt.

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What part of a cow does a merlot steak come from?
Neck muscle
Heel muscle
Eyes
Stomach
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The merlot cut is above the shank and below the bottom round. While the merlot cut is rarely found in the supermarket, you can request it from a butcher.

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What is part of a pig is a secreto?
Near the bottom of the belly
Near the ears
Near the feet
Near the tail
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The secreto is approximately where a skirt steak is on a cow. It is sometimes called a pork skirt steak for this reason.

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Where would you find a shoulder hock on a pig?
Heart
Neck
Back leg
Front leg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pork hocks are split into front and back. If taken from the front, they are called shoulder hocks. If taken from the back legs, they are called ham hocks.

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