Lamb, mutton, and hogget (UK, New Zealand and Australia)[1][2] are the meat of domestic sheep. The meat of a sheep in its first year is lamb; that of a juvenile sheep older than 1 year is hogget; and the meat of an adult sheep is mutton.
Distinct from the meat, a lamb (with the indefinite article) also describes a live juvenile sheep (species Ovis aries), which may or may not be used for its meat. In Australia, the term prime lamb is often used to refer to lambs raised for meat.[3]
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The definitions for lamb, hogget and mutton vary considerably between countries. In New Zealand for example, they are defined as follows:
In Australia the definitions are extended to include ewes and rams, as well as being stricter on the definition for lamb which is:
Under current United States federal regulations, only the term 'lamb' is used:
The term 'mutton' is rare, and 'hogget' unknown,[6] in the United States.
Younger lambs are smaller and more tender. Mutton is meat from a sheep over two years old, and has a less tender flesh. In general, the darker the colour, the older the animal. Baby lamb meat will be pale pink, while regular lamb is pinkish-red.
Other definitions include:
In many Eastern countries including the Indian sub-continent, Malaysia and Singapore, the term mutton refers to goats' meat (which is properly called chevon) and usually not to sheep's meat. Often, the mutton curries of the Indian cuisine use goat meat when cooked at home.
The meat of a lamb is taken from the animal between one month and one year old, with a carcase (carcass in American English) weight of between 5.5 and 30 kilograms (12 and 65 lbs). 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.[9] 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 chop 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 pre-chopped or diced.
Lamb shank definitions vary, but generally include:
According to Jewish Kosher law, sheep may be eaten, but as with cows, they must be killed while conscious and the sciatic nerve, as well as certain types of fat on the back half of the animal, may not be eaten. This makes certain cuts, such as leg or steaks, very difficult to produce in some countries. Similar rules apply for the Islamic dietary code, Halal.
Thin strips of fatty mutton can be cut into a substitute for bacon called macon.
Lamb tongue is popular in middle-eastern cuisine both as a cold cut and in preparations like stews.[10]
Approximate zones of the usual UK cuts of lamb:[11]
Meat from sheep features prominently in several cuisines of the Mediterranean, for example in Greece; in North Africa and the Middle East; in the Basque culture, both in the Basque country of Europe and in the shepherding areas of the Western United States. In Northern Europe, mutton and lamb feature in many traditional dishes, including those of the North Atlantic islands and of the United Kingdom, particularly in the western and northern uplands, Scotland and Wales. It is also very popular in Australia. Lamb and mutton are very popular in Central Asia and South 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 and Canada. However, meat from sheep is generally consumed far less in North America than in many European, Central American and Asian cuisines. In Mexico lamb is the meat of choice for the popular barbacoa dish, in which the lamb is roasted or steamed wrapped in maguey leaves underground.
Lamb's liver, known as lamb's fry in Australia,[12] is eaten in many countries and, along with the lungs and heart, is a major ingredient in the traditional Scottish dish of haggis. Lamb testicles, also known as lamb's fries (a term also used for other lamb offal),[13] is another delicacy. Lamb's liver is the most common form of offal eaten in the UK, traditionally used in the family favourite (and pub grub staple) of liver with onions and/or bacon and mashed potatoes.
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