Sheep Sheep
In the U.S. there's no such thing as "mutton" - a sheep is a "lamb" until it dies of old age, but marketed meat is almost always from individuals young enough to pass as lamb. In countries where grazing land is scarce and too hilly for cattle, sheep and goats are the most economical meats. In the U.S. lamb is pricier than beef in general, but usually cheaper than the top grilling cuts. .






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General & History

Who Eat's Sheep & Goat?

  • Jews are free to eat lamb and goat provided it has been ritually slaughtered. In the religion's land of origin, the Near East, lamb dominates because there is no lush grazing land, so lamb is important to Jewish culture worldwide.
  • Islam adopted most of it's dietary law from Judaism, and is also predominantly a religion of less fertile regions. While beef is not forbidden, it can't be economically raised in those regions so lamb is the meat of choice.
  • Southeast Asia: Muslim areas including the far south of Thailand, most of Malaysia and Indonesia, favor lamb, but it's not so common there and buffalo predominates.
  • India: In areas of India that were under Muslim occupation for some time, such as the Punjab and Hyderabad, lamb is preferred, but goat is the most comon meat in India. Recipes can confuse you because during the Raj the British were pleased to call goat "mutton" to make it taste better.
  • Christians, largely recruited from the Pagans, brough a lot of paganism with them. Rejecting the religious prohibitions of Judaism they eat whatever is economical in the region. In the Near East and other less fertile areas that will be sheep and goat.
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