Lamb has always been the least popular of red meats in North America. People here prefer beef, pork and veal over lamb, mainly because availability and tradition. Of late, however, two factors contributed to an increase in lamb consumption; young well-travelled chefs discovered the fabulous taste of properly cooked lamb.
You can imagine the taste and texture of such tortured and abused delicate meat. Now luckily a number of well-trained young chefs know how to cook and serve lamb. Fine restaurants are starting to serve cuts of lamb they never dared offering for fear of alienating their guests. Lamb shanks and stews have become popular because of their superior and intriguing taste.
Lamb lends itself to a greater variety of seasonings from the Middle East and India; this is another proof that nature somehow preordained food that grows together to complement each other best. In fact red Bordeaux wine and Bordeaux lamb are considered to be the epitome of food and wine matches. Whole spit-roasted lamb is one of the Middle eastern delicacies few people can forget, once they have had the opportunity to experience to taste the unforgettable and delicious lamb recipes.
As early as 10,000 years ago in Central Asia, man discovered that the sheep was a good source of not only food, but clothing. Sheep have long been a dietary staple as well as a textile source in Asia, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
In the Middle Ages, farmers learned that sheep was the most productive crop, providing meat, wool for clothing, skins for parchment, and milk for butter and cheese. Sheep provide an amazing myriad of products in the 21st century.
Country of origin is important for consumers' buying probability of lamb meat, in both countries domestic meat was preferred. In addition, a higher probability of buying meat from lamb grazing on mountain pasture than from lamb grazing on lowland pasture was identified. It is important for producers of lamb meat to increase the communication of these elements in a competitive national and international food market.
Such a delectable taste for so humble a creature. Lamb is a very versatile meat and readily available at local markets. Lamb also has religious connotations. Lambs were ritually used as sacrifices in many different religions to all varieties of gods, and is still a favorite menu item for Easter and Passover.
If the phrase "Spring Lamb" is on a meat label, it means the lamb was slaughtered between March and October. The term comes from olden times when lambs born in harsh winter weather would have little chance to survive until the next year. Today with more protected animal husbandry conditions, enjoying "lamb" is not confined to a particular season of the year.
Now that you knew the origin of the lamb meat for your perfect lamb dishes, you can think of the many ways on how to cook lamb not just during Spring or Easter but also year round.
