Whether in the form of a crisp, golden Barnsley chop with minted potatoes or served salted and dried alongside flatbread and sour cream, the flavoursome meat of the stocky, woolly sheep is eaten all over the world. Most often, this means lamb, but in countries with extensive sheep farming traditions, both hogget (from sheep aged one to two years) and mutton (from older sheep) are also enjoyed for their complex depth of flavour acquired from a longer time grazing on pastures.
Across much of Europe, the meat is treated simply: in France, lamb tends to be cooked slowly with seasonal vegetables, while in some Romanian pastoral communities, mutton is boiled with sheep lard and onions and preserved in clay pots. However, lamb can also hold its own against punchy flavours, as evidenced in Iranian stews simmered with walnuts and pomegranate molasses, and in Moroccan tagines made with preserved lemons.
In many cultures, lamb is considered a symbol of spring and sacrifice — and the meat plays a central role in Easter celebrations. The roots of the traditional roast lamb dinner are thought to lie in early Passover rituals; other lamb
