John Myers
The main difference between lamb, mutton, and mutton lies in the age and sex of the animal for slaughter. Sheep meat is the generic term and can come from both female and male animals.
Lambs are no more than a year old, with suckling lambs being up to six months old. Older lambs are called fattening lambs. Suckling lamb meat is light in color and fattening lamb is dark pink and slightly streaked with fat – ideal for a rack of lamb recipe.
For optimal meat quality, the lamb matures for 5 to 7 days after the slaughter at a temperature of 2 to 4° C. If the lamb matures too short, it remains tough. When shopping, make sure the meat smells fresh and is light to brick red. The meat structure should be fine and only moderately streaked with fat.
If the animals for slaughter are older than one year and male, it is referred to as mutton. The consistency of the meat is firm, the color is dark red, the marbling is clearly visible and the taste is strong.
