KudoZ home » Spanish to English » Food & Dairy

cabezal de vaca

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs
(or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

17:53 Feb 21, 2011

This question was closed without grading. Reason: Answer found elsewhere

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Food & Dairy

Spanish term or phrase: cabezal de vaca

Hello. From a restaurant website (Andalucía):

"Nuestro estofado de buey lo hacemos con una base de zanahoria y puerros, que flambeamos, y con la carne de los cabezales de vaca que recibimos junto con los chuleteros."

Going into UK English please.

Thanks for your help :)

Simon Bruni KudoZ activity Questions: 575 (3 open) (10 without valid answers) (18 closed without grading) Answers: 1177 United Kingdom
Local time: 17:09

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

cow's head

Charles Davis

3 +1

beef head

TranslateDCP

cow's cheeks and other head meat

Deborah Lockett

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

42 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

cow's head

Explanation:
or "cow head"; they seem to be roughly equally common.
I think this is what it appears to be. Cow head is much prized in Tex-Mex cooking:
"Barbacoa de cabeza is a specialty of slow cooked cow head that arose in the ranching lands of northern Mexico after the Spanish conquest"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa

I can believe it; though it may sound offputting, the meat from the head tends to be delicious.

So in context it will "the meat from the cow's heads" (or "cow heads").

"Beef head" is also found, but more in the context of butchery than cooking.

Why "cabezal" not "cabeza"? The only reason I can see is to stop it sounding like the well-known aristocratic name "Cabeza de Vaca".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 43 mins (2011-02-21 18:37:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, in the suggested translation in context I meant to put "cows' heads". The idea of a multi-headed cow really IS offputting.

Charles Davis
Local time: 18:09
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Bill Harrison: Barbacoa de cabeza is a specialty of slow cooked cow head that arose in the ... A traditional Mexican way of eating barbacoa is having it served on a warm ... AH, same reference as you found.

13 mins

-> Where would we be without dear old Wikipedia? I try to resist, but it's just too tempting. Thank you!

agree

Taña Dalglish: Yes, funny... it brings to mind a particular word used in the Caribbean (which eludes me at this time) and reminds me of Anancy stories, "Rolling Calf" (highly amusing!) and "mannish water". I believe it is "cow's head" too! //Very well, thank you.

1 hr

-> Thank you very much, Taña. It's nice to hear from you. I hope you're well :)

agree

philgoddard: I had this in Juarez once, and there was almost no meat on it. Overrated if you ask me.

1 hr

-> Interesting; never had it myself. By the way, I found a pretty revolting video of someone preparing cow's head, but decided to spare you all the reference. Thanks!

agree

gallagy2: thanks for not including video!

4 hrs

-> Cheers, gallagy :)

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

beef head

Explanation:
This seems to be the translation many authentic Mexican restaurants use for "cabeza" dishes here in the States. I also encountered it in a Russian cookbook.

Reference: http://midtownlunch.com/2007/10/10/the-most-offal-lunches-mi...
Reference: http://www.yellowbook.com/profile/taqueria-el-gallo_18525713...

TranslateDCP
Singapore
Local time: 00:09
Native speaker of: English

15 hrs confidence:

cow's cheeks and other head meat

Explanation:
a lady I knew in England had a fright when she opened a tin of beef and there was a hairy part which she thought must be from the body of a mouse. She complained to the producer and received the reply that the meat was not mouse, it was cow; it was from the cheek and that is why it was hairy.

The text does state "carne" so it is apparently not referring to the serving of a whole cooked cow's head.

The cheek is the main meaty part of the cow's head, you could use this to "lead in" to saying "head meat" to try to make it sound familiar to English speakers.

Reference:

"In the U.S., barbacoa is often prepared with parts from the head of a cow, such as the ***cheeks***."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 horas (2011-02-22 09:08:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

the cow's jaw is also meaty, although unlike the cheek, it is bony. It is mentioned at the same link as above: "Pachuca is widely known as the homeland of barbacoa. The meat traditionally comes from the inside of a cow's cheek or jaw."

The skull would not be meaty.

Deborah Lockett
Local time: 17:09
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 94

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help
The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

Overview

Latest translation questions

Ask a translation question

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations

cabezal de vaca

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

Answers

Sign in to your ProZ.com account...

Or create a new account

ProZ.com ideas

KudoZ™ translation help
The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

cabezal de vaca

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

Answers

Sign in to your ProZ.com account...

Or create a new account

ProZ.com ideas

KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

KudoZ™ translation help
The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.