It was said that King Charles the Second of England after returning from a royal hunt in the forest surrounding Friday Hall was particularly hungry. Upon seeing a loin of beef, dripping with juices fresh from the ovens, he exclaimed, “A noble joint! By St. George, it shall have a title!”
Thus, the loin became Sir Loin.
While we certainly like the sound of that, the more likely origin of the name is a little duller. The French word ‘surlonge’, which literally means ‘top of the loin’ was probably the source. And since culinary terms were almost always French since the Norman invasion, there’s little doubt about the sirloin’s true lineage.
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Paul Hillman
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