The+Butcher's+Nightmare



Prior to the Civil war, Americans' meat of choice was pork. When cookbooks said that pork was "difficult to digest" and "unwholesome", Americans started eating alot of beef. Soon people started to complain about the tough beef from the Texas longhorn. The huge Texas longhorn became known as "the butcher's nightmare", because only eight pounds of meat could be produced on this 800 pounds of bone and horn. Breeders had to start importing eastern purebreads to make a better quality longhorn.

Picture provided by:http://texas-america.com/texas_longhorn.jpg

Information provided by:America Pathways to the Presentpg. 269 and 270.