So much so, it's often called "American roast." Although positioned between light and dark roast, medium roast can be the most nuanced and complex.

WILMAR Minn. Ten-unit Arby's franchisee American Roast Beef, based here, said Web-based RTIconnect back-office software from Restaurant Technology Inc. saves time for managers, improves reporting ...

In any case, the common people of the era couldn't afford to eat beef every day, and they definitely didn't have a giant fireplace with a big, fancy spit.