CHAPTER XIII
LAMB AND MUTTON
Lamb is the name given to the meat of lambs; mutton,
to the meat of sheep. Lamb, coming as it does from
the young creature, is immature, and less nutritious than
mutton. The flesh of mutton ranks with the flesh of beef in
nutritive value and digestibility. The fat of mutton, on account
of its larger percentage of stearic acid, is more difficult
of digestion than the fat of beef.
Lamb may be eaten soon after the animal is killed and dressed; mutton must hang to ripen. Good mutton comes from a sheep about three years old, and should hang from two to three weeks. The English South Down Mutton is cut from creatures even older than three years. Young lamb, when killed from six weeks to three months old, is called spring lamb, and appears in the market as early as the last of January, but is very scarce until March. Lamb one year old is called a yearling. Many object to the strong flavor of mutton; this is greatly overcome by removing the pink skin and trimming off superfluous fat.
Lamb and mutton are divided into two parts by cutting through entire length of backbone; then subdivided into fore and hind quarter, eight ribs being left on hind quarter,—while in beef but three ribs are left on hind-quarter. These eight ribs are cut into chops and are known as rib chops. The meat which lies between these ribs and the leg, cut into chops, is known as loin or kidney chops.
Lamb and mutton chops cut from loin have a small piece of tenderloin on one side of bone, and correspond to porterhouse steaks in the beef creature. Rib chops which have the
