How to Cook Lamb

Sheep (Ovis aries) were domesticated in Europe and Asia from the wild mouflon (Ovis orientalis orientalis) and was one of the earliest animals to be domesticated. Their fleece, milk, and meat was and remains to be a valuable commodity. The meat harvested from sheep is referred to as mutton or lamb. Mutton is from a mature sheep, usually over two years of age. Lamb is from young or immature sheep under a year old. Mutton has a much stronger flavor and is not as popular in America as lamb. Lamb meat is very tender and has a mild flavor compared to mutton.

Types of Lamb

Americans eat on the average under a pound of lamb a year, a statistic that pales in comparison to our consumption of beef and pork, which is at over 100 pounds per year. And when we do eat lamb, we usually eat one of three cuts of lamb: lamb chops, leg of lamb, or lamb stew meat. We also very rarely eat mutton. In most other countries, mutton is much more popular than lamb. One lamb delicacy that some Americans have yet to try is Rocky Mountain oysters, also known as lamb fries or simply lamb testes. As for me, I haven't tried them . . . yet.

Cooking Lamb

When I used to roast whole legs of lamb, I always made sure to shave off most of the thick tallowy fat. It has a very strong flavor and too much of it can ruin your meat. I also used strong flavors like garlic, mint, and rosemary to cover up the flavor. These days, I stick to smaller cuts of lamb, primarily chops and stew meat. Lamb rib roast is fun to make if you want to impress someone. The presentation of the long rib bones and round bit of tender lamb meat on one end gets the guests every time. My favorite lamb dish right now is cumin lamb. Lamb and cumin were made for each other.