Last Updated on October 26, 2021
Your guide to Israel beef cuts. The Hebrew names and numbers of beef cuts and internal organs.
Hebrew: Helkay Basar – חלקי בשר
Your first few shopping experiences in Israel might have you pulling your hair out. There are many challenges and new food choices – one of them is determining which beef cut is most suited to your favorite recipes from home.
While our parents did their best to give us the best education and when we came out of school we knew for a fact that a cow is a cow, 1 = 1 and 5 = 5, but this is Israel and seemingly logical facts are sometime absurd and the opposite is true. English is read from left to right but we read Hebrew from right to left. In Hebrew “she” is “he” (היא) and “he” is “who” (הוא). And so it is with cuts of meat. In the diaspora the hindquarter was not considered kosher (unless specially prepared) but in Israel you can find kosher hind cuts. In Israel 1 = 10 and 10 = 18. Enough confusion.
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The names of beef cuts in Israel differ from other parts of the world. In Israel, beef is often sold by number. You may need to ask your butcher for #3 or #5 instead of shoulder or brisket.
Frozen meats are cheaper than fresh, so if you buy frozen, look out for these numbers. To help you along, here is a list of Israeli beef cuts, their name and their equivalents abroad
| Cut # | Local Name in Israel | Equivalent Abroad | Use |
| #1 | Entrecote | #6 Rib, Ribeye, Forerib | Steak, Roast-beef |
| #2 | Tzlaot, Rifaan | #3 & #4 Chuck, Blade | Slow cooking or mincing |
| #3 | Chazeh | #14 Brisket / Clod | Soup or pickling |
| #4 | Katef Mercazi | #16 Silverside, Thick Rib | Slow roasts, stews or mincing |
| #5 | Tzli Katef | #5 & #16 Back Rib | Slow roast or stew |
| #6 | Fillet Medumeh | #16 Foreshank | Slow roast or stew |
| #7 | Shrir, Michaseh HaTzlah | Chuck cover | Mincing |
| #8 | Shrir Hazroar | #15 Shin | Soup, cholent, hamin, osso bucco |
| #9 | Kashtit / Shpundra | Short Rib | Slow cooking, soup, assado |
| #10 | Tsavar | #1 Neck | Soup or mincing |
| #11 | Sinta | #7 Sirloin | Roast-beef or steak |
| #12 | Fillet | #7 Tenderloin, Fillet | Roast-beef or steak |
| #13 | Shaitel | #8 Rump | Escalope, steak, shishlik, roast-beef |
| #14 | Katchah, Avazit | Top Sirloin | Slow roast, stews or mincing |
| #15 | Yarcha / Chuck | #11 Thick Flank, Flank Steak | Stews |
| #16 | Kaf | #9 Topside, Silver-side | Steak, escalopes or roasting |
| #17 | Pladah, Kislayim | #12 Thin Flank | Mincing or rolled beef |
| #18 | Shrir Achori | #10 Shank, Leg | Soup or slow cooking |
| #19 | Rosh HaYerech (Yarcha), Weisbraten | #9 Silverside, Aitchbone | Slow roast or stew |
The Internal Organs – חלקי פנים
| Transliteration | Hebrew Name | English Equivalent |
| Lashon | לשון | Tongue |
| Kaved | כבד | Liver |
| Kayvah | קֵבָה | Tripe |
| Mo’ach | מֹחַ | Brains |
| Shkeidim | שקדים | Sweetbreads |
| Raya | רֵאָה | Lung |
| Klaya | כִּלְיָה | Kidney |
| Ma’i | מְעִי | Intestine |
| Lavlav | לַבְלַב | Pancreas |
| Eshech | אֶשֶׁךְ | Testicle |
| Lechi | לֶחִי | Beef cheeks |
| Zanav shor | זנד שור | Oxtail |
