The terms
lamb,
hogget or
mutton are names for the animals or meat of a
domestic sheep. The meat of a sheep a year old or younger is generally known as
lamb, whereas the meat of an older sheep is either
hogget or
mutton depending on its age and characteristics. All of these are known generically as
sheepmeats[citation needed].
The meat of a lamb is taken from the animal between one month and one year old, with a carcass 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 can taste more flavorful than lamb because they contain a higher concentration of species-characteristic fatty acids; some prefer the stronger flavour of older animals [1]. Hogget and mutton also tend to be tougher than lamb (because of connective tissue maturation) and are therefore better suited to casserole-style cooking.
Meat from sheep features prominently in cuisines of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and certain parts of China because other red meats are eschewed for religious or economic reasons. Barbecued mutton is also a speciality in some areas of the United States.
The term sucker lambs, used in some parts, includes young milk-fed lambs as well as slightly older lambs up to about 7 months of age which are also still dependent on their mothers for milk. Carcasses from these lambs usually weigh between 14 and 30kg. Older weaned lambs which have not yet matured to become mutton are known as old-season lambs.
