Tissues and Textures

The texture of tender meat is as distinctive and satisfying as its flavor: a “meaty” food is something you can sink your teeth into, dense and substantial, initially resistant to the tooth but soon giving way as it liberates its flavor. Toughness is a resistance to chewing that persists long enough to become unpleasant. Toughness can come from the muscle fibers, the connective tissue surrounding them, and from the lack of marbling fat.