Why is cutting meat against the grain important? What determines grain direction?

Question

Why is cutting meat against the grain important? What determines grain direction?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Basically the connective fibres run a certain way. If you cut parallel to it you aren’t severing those long connective strands so the meat will be tougher since it’s still structurally stable. If you cut it perpendicular to the grain, you cut those connective strands and the meat, being less structurally stable will be softer and tender.

Grain direction just comes down to physiology but I can’t expand on that.