# Corned beef

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef/227765>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 6, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef/227765 "2004-02-06T01:31:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef/227765/1 "2004-02-06T01:31:58Z")

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What does the word ‘corned’ refer to ?  
Is it for the way the meat was processed, or have anything to do with the little bag of spices that sometimes come with it?  
(Had it for dinner and no one knew)

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef/227765/2 "2004-02-06T01:35:09Z")

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[Corned Beef.](http://www.mrbreakfast.com/ask.asp?askid=19)

> [@](#):
>
> Just as luck has nothing to do with getting a royal flush in Lucky 7s, corning has nothing to do with corn. Corning is a form of curing. In the days before refrigeration, meat was dry-cured in coarse “corns” of salt. Chunks of salt, akin to the shape and size of corn kernels, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it.

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef/227765/3 "2004-02-06T06:33:53Z")

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A small correction to that explanation. In the UK, the word _corn_ used to refer to any grain, not just maize. Hence, corns of salt = grains of salt.