Corned beef, either tinned or fresh, is made from beef and brine at minimum, with some recipes adding additional spices or flavorings. The brine always contains water and salt, and may also contain sugar, saltpeter, cloves, bay leaves or allspice.
Corned beef is traditionally an American staple enjoyed by Jewish, Irish and other European immigrants in New York City, though it is often falsely referred to as an Irish food. The dish gets its name from the large, grain-sized pieces of salt used to cure the beef back in the days when any whole-seed grain was referred to as "corn."
