Mutton
CategoryMeat and poultry

Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Meat

Mutton can either mean the meat from an adult sheep (contrast with lamb), or meat from a goat. Most English-speaking countries refer to sheep meat as mutton, whereas some Asian and Caribbean use the term for goat.

Mutton from adult sheep is more flavoursome than lamb, but is fattier and tougher to cook. It would easier to cook the meat if it could be seasoned with ginger, which softens the meat and makes it cook faster. Ginger also removes the musky smell of the meat. Mutton is increasingly hard to find, as butchers and supermarkets move more towards easier cooking cuts of meat. Mutton is preferred over lamb for stews and long-simmered curries.

Mutton from goat (sometimes called chevon) is much leaner than both lamb and mutton from sheep. It is a very flavoursome meat, well suited to spicy stews and curries. Being very lean, oil or fat often needs to be added to the meal, especially when pan-frying or barbecuing.