Lamb and mutton

Meat of domestic sheep "Mutton" redirects here. For goat meat, which is what 'mutton' primarily refers to in South Asia and the Caribbean, see goat meat. For other uses, see Mutton (disambiguation).

Lamb Mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat), is one of the most common meats around the world. It is meat from the domestic sheep, Ovis aries, and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in their second, and mutton, from older sheep. In South Asian and Caribbean cuisine, "mutton" often means goat meat. At various times and places, "mutton" or "goat mutton" has occasionally been used to mean goat meat. Lamb is the most expensive of the three types, and in recent decades, sheep meat has increasingly only been retailed as "lamb", sometimes stretching the accepted distinctions given above. The stronger-tasting mutton is now hard to find in many areas, despite the efforts of the Mutton Renaissance Campaign in the UK. In Australia, the term prime lamb is often used to refer to lambs raised for meat. Other languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, make similar or even more detailed distinctions among sheep meats by age and sometimes by sex and diet—for example, lechazo in Spanish refers to meat from milk-fed (unweaned) lambs.

[edit] Lamb chops with new potatoes and green beans The definitions for lamb, hogget and mutton vary considerably between countries. Younger lambs are smaller and more tender. Mutton is meat from a sheep over two years old, and has tougher flesh. In general, the darker the colour, the older the animal.

Lamb chops from Greek cuisine Britain, Australia, and New Zealand[edit] Lamb A young sheep which is less than one year old. From 1 July 2019, the Australian definition is "an ovine animal that: (a) is under 12 months of age, or (b) does not have any permanent incisor teeth in wear". This new definition meant that Australian farmers could extend the term "lamb" by another month. This followed a similar definition change in New Zealand in 2018. In Britain the definition is still "0 permanent incisor teeth". A permanent incisor tooth is said to be "in wear" if it protrudes further than the nearest milk teeth. Hogget A sheep of either sex having no more than two permanent incisors in wear. The term is also used to refer to meat from the aforementioned animal. In the UK, it means animals that are 11 to 24 months old, while Australian butchers use the term for animals that are 13 to 24 months old. Still common in farming usage and among speciality butchers, it is now a rare term in British, Australian and New Zealand supermarkets, where meat of all sheep less than two years old tends to be called "lamb". Mutton The meat of a female (ewe) or castrated male (wether) sheep having more than two permanent incisors in wear. Italy[edit] Abbacchio is consumed throughout central Italy as an Easter and Christmas dish. It is a product protected by the European Union with the PGI mark. In Romanesco dialect, the offspring of the sheep who is still suckling or recently weaned is called abbacchio, while the offspring of the sheep almost a year old who has already been shorn twice is called agnello (lit. 'lamb'). This distinction exists only in the Romanesco dialect. Abbacchio is consumed throughout central Italy as an Easter and Christmas dish. It is a product protected by the European Union with the PGI mark. Throughout central Italy, including Sardinia, pastoralism was the main source of meat. Since ancient times, abbacchio has been one of the staple foods of the Lazio region, especially for rural communities, whose consumption at the table was considerable. The tradition of consuming abbacchio spread in ancient times where mainly adult sheep were slaughtered. The slaughter of abbacchio was forbidden except during the Easter and Christmas periods, and until June. Over the centuries, given the importance of the food, around 100 recipes for preparing lamb have been developed in Lazio. Given the importance of abbacchio in social life, historical events dedicated to abbacchio are still organized in the Lazio region today, i.e. sagre, country festivals and popular events. In ancient times, sheep was eaten during work in the countryside, while abbacchio was consumed only during the Easter holidays.

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Lechazo asado (roast lamb) is a typical dish from the province of Valladolid and other Castilian provinces in Spain.

Chuletillas of milk-fed lamb in Asturias

Cooked boneless leg of lamb with potatoes and carrots, Italy

Lamb rendang

Lamb shanks of a young lamb

Mutton rogan josh from India

Lamb chuanr (Uyghur grilled lamb kebabs)

Lamb shanks cooked on an open fire in Aroab, Namibia

A plate of lamb chops from a Greek restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The meat of a lamb is taken from the animal between one month and one year old, with a carcass weight of between 5.5 and 30 kg (12 and 66 lb). This meat generally is more tender than that from older sheep and appears more often on tables in some Western countries. Hogget and mutton have a stronger flavour than lamb because they contain a higher concentration of species-characteristic fatty acids and are preferred by some. Mutton and hogget also tend to be tougher than lamb (because of connective tissue maturation) and are therefore better suited to casserole-style cooking, as in Lancashire hotpot, for example. Lamb is often sorted into three kinds of meat: forequarter, loin, and hindquarter. The forequarter includes the neck, shoulder, front legs, and the ribs up to the shoulder blade. The hindquarter includes the rear legs and hip. The loin includes the ribs between the two. Lamb chops are cut from the rib, loin, and shoulder areas. The rib chops include a rib bone; the loin chops include only a chine bone. Shoulder chops are usually considered inferior to loin chops; both kinds of chops are usually grilled. Breast of lamb (baby chops) can be cooked in an oven. Leg of lamb is a whole leg; saddle of lamb is the two loins with the hip. Leg and saddle are usually roasted, though the leg is sometimes boiled. Forequarter meat of sheep, as of other mammals, includes more connective tissue than some other cuts, and, if not from a young lamb, is best cooked slowly using either a moist method, such as braising or stewing, or by slow roasting or American barbecuing. It is, in some countries, sold already chopped or diced. Mutton barbeque is a tradition in Western Kentucky. The area was strong in the wool trade, which gave them plenty of older sheep that needed to be put to use.

[edit] UK, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries[edit] British cuts of lamb Approximate zones of the usual UK cuts of lamb:

Scrag end (of neck) Middle neck Best End (of neck) Loin Chump (and chump chops) Barnsley chop, a large double loin chop. Leg (gigot in Scotland) Shank Shoulder Breast US and Ireland[edit] Cuts of lamb (United States, 1927) Square cut shoulder – shoulder roast, shoulder chops and arm chops Rack – rib chops and riblets, rib roast Loin – loin chops or roast Leg – sirloin chops, leg roast (leg of lamb) Neck Breast Shanks (fore or hind) Flank New Zealand[edit]

Forequarters of lamb Forequarter Neck – neck chops Shoulder – shoulder chops, shoulder roast (usually boned and rolled) Rib-eye Breast Knuckle Loin Rib-loin – racks, frenched cutlets, spare ribs Mid-loin – striploin (backstrap), loin chops Tenderloin Flap Full leg – leg roast (may be boned and rolled), leg chops. A short-cut leg is a full leg without the chump; a carvery leg is a short-cut leg without the thick flank Chump (rump) – chump chops, rump steak Thick flank (knuckle) – schnitzel Topside & silverside – steaks Shank

[edit] Sheep meat consumption[edit] According to the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook for 2016, the top consumers of sheep meat in 2015 were as follows: EU countries are not individually surveyed in this list. Among EU nations, Greece is the per capita leader in consumption at 12.3 kg, with Cyprus following right after, while the UK's annual per capita lamb consumption is 4.7 kg. Outside of the OECD, the largest per capita consumer overall is Mongolia, with 45.1 kg.

Sheep meat production[edit] The table below gives a sample of producing nations, but many other significant producers in the 50–120 kt range are not given.

Sheep meat production (kt)

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

World 8,415 8,354 8,229 8,348 8,470

Algeria 179 197 205 253 261

Australia 660 635 556 513 556

Brazil 79 80 82 84 85

China 1,978 2,044 2,070 2,050 2,080

France 130 126 119 115 114

Germany 38 38 38 39 36

Greece 91 90 90 90 90

India 275 286 289 293 296

Indonesia 113 128 113 113 113

Iran 170 114 90 104 126

Kazakhstan 110 116 123 128 128

New Zealand 598 478 471 465 448

Nigeria 145 149 171 172 174

Russia 156 164 167 171 173

Turkey 278 262 240 253 272

Turkmenistan 124 128 130 130 133

United Kingdom 326 307 277 289 275

United States 81 80 76 69 72

[edit] Lamb legs grilling over an open fire at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate Lamb (in front) being roasted on a roasting spit in Novalja, island of Pag, Croatia Meat from sheep features prominently in the cuisines of several Mediterranean cultures including Greece, Croatia, Turkey, North Africa, Jordan, and the Middle East, as well as in the cuisines of Iran and Afghanistan. In Greece, for example, it is an integral component of many meals and of religious feasts such as Easter, like avgolemono and magiritsa. It is also popular in the Basque culture, both in the Basque country of Europe and in shepherding parts of the Western United States (where shepherds of Basque descent have been active since the 1850s). In the United States, the Navajo have incorporated mutton and lamb into their traditional cuisine since the introduction of sheep by Spanish explorers and settlers in the 17th century, replacing wild turkey and venison and creating a pastoral culture. In Northern Europe, mutton and lamb feature in many traditional dishes, including those of Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. Mutton is also popular in Australia. Lamb and mutton are very popular in Central Asia and in certain parts of China, where other red meats may be eschewed for religious or economic reasons. Barbecued mutton is also a specialty in some areas of the United States (chiefly Owensboro, Kentucky) and Canada. However, meat from sheep is generally consumed far less in the US than in many European, Central American and Asian cuisines; for example, average per-capita consumption of lamb in the United States is only 400 grams (14 oz) per year. In Australia, the leg of lamb roast is considered to be the national dish. Commonly served on a Sunday or any other special occasion, it can be done in a kettle BBQ or a conventional oven. Typical preparation involves covering the leg of lamb with butter, pushing rosemary sprigs into incisions cut in the leg, and sprinkling rosemary leaves on top. The lamb is then roasted for two hours at 180 °C (350 °F) and typically served with carrots and potato (also roasted), green vegetables and gravy. In Indonesia, lamb is popularly served as lamb satay and lamb curry. Both dishes are cooked with various spices from the islands, and served with either rice or lontong. A version of lamb and bamboo shoot curry is the specialty of Minang cuisine, although similar dishes can be found in Thai cuisine. In Mexico, lamb is the meat of choice for barbacoa, in which the lamb is roasted or steamed wrapped in maguey leaves underground. In Japan, although lamb is not traditionally consumed in most of the country, on the northern island of Hokkaido and in the northeastern Tohoku regions, a hot-pot dish called jingisukan (i.e. "Genghis Khan") is popular. In that dish, thin-sliced lamb is cooked over a convex skillet alongside various vegetables and mushrooms in front of the diners, then dipped in soy-sauce-based dipping sauces and eaten. It was so named because lamb is popular in Mongolia (see "Sheep meat consumption" above).

[edit] Lamb and mutton are forms of red meat. Red meat is a good source of protein, iron, zinc, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), unprocessed red meat probably leads to an increased risk of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. Studies have also linked red meat with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. If meat is processed, such as by salting, curing, or smoking, health risks further increase. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends limiting red meat to no more than three servings per week.

[edit] Further information: Environmental impacts of animal agriculture

Mean land use of different foods

Food Types

Land Use (m2year per 100g protein)

Beef

50

Lamb and Mutton

20

Cheese

11

Pork

7.6

Farmed Fish

6

Poultry

5.7

Eggs

4.2

Tofu

2

Groundnuts

1.2

Peas

0.4

Sheep have the second highest emissions intensity of any agricultural commodity. Production of lamb emits more greenhouse gas per gram of protein than other common foods, except for beef.

The amount of agricultural land needed globally would be reduced by almost half if no beef or mutton were eaten.

The richness of sheep meat makes it a natural match for Christmas revelry. Lamb, with its tender, mildly sweet flavour, pairs beautifully with traditional winter herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage, while older mutton offers a deeper, gamey intensity that can stand up to robust spiced gravies and mulled wine reductions. In many UK households, a roast leg of lamb is the centerpiece of the Christmas lunch, offering a lighter alternative to beef or turkey and complementing the season’s surplus of root veg. Mutton, though rarer, provides a nostalgic nod to historic feasts where the older animal was prized for its flavour and ability to feed larger gatherings.

When selecting lamb for a holiday roast, look for a firm, pinkish hue and a little marrow at the bone ends – signs of freshness and good fat distribution. A leg or crown roast will feed a family, while a shoulder works well for slow‑cooking, yielding melt‑in‑your‑mouth meat for stews. For mutton, opt for a well‑marbled shoulder or shank; the tougher muscle benefits from low, slow cooking, turning the strong flavour into silky tenderness. Ask your butcher for a ‘spring‑fed’ lamb if you prefer a sweeter taste, and don’t shy away from a modestly aged mutton – the longer ageing enhances the characteristic depth that many Christmas diners crave.

A frequent mistake is treating lamb like chicken – over‑cooking it and losing its delicate texture. Remember that lamb is best served medium‑rare to medium; a 20‑minute rest after roasting lets the juices redistribute. With mutton, the error is the opposite: cutting it too thin or cooking it quickly, which leaves it tough and overly gamey. Instead, braise mutton in a low‑heat oven with aromatics and a splash of red wine for at least three hours. Finally, seasoning is key: a simple rub of garlic, rosemary and a dash of lemon zest enhances the natural flavour without overwhelming the meat’s subtle nuances.