[Sca-cooks] Mutton

[Stefan li Rous]

Phlip said:
<<< Cariadoc, the problem is that Americans barely tolerate the strong
flavor of lamb, and wouldn't tolerate  the intensity of true mutton,
so it basically isn't sold, except that most of what passes for lamb
nowadays would have been considered mutton a few years ago.>>>

The problem comes in what you define as "lamb" and what you define as  
"mutton".

It appears that in period and probably sometime after that, lamb meant  
an animal that had only been milk-fed. The older the animal, the  
stronger the "mutton" taste, but the older the animal the more meat  
there is to sell, so in modern times, what is often sold as "lamb" is  
really what in period would have been considered mutton.
sheep-lambs-msg (38K) 12/24/06 Medieval sheep and lambs. Breeds.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/ANIMALS/sheep-lambs-msg.html

lamb-mutton-msg (143K) 3/ 3/11 Medieval lamb and mutton. Recipes.

http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MEATS/lamb-mutton-msg.html

Stefan

--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****