Mutton was a staple of the dinner table in the 19th century, at least according to all the novels. It seems to have been pretty much the default meat of the time. Men had muttonchop whiskers. Lizzie Borden finally snapped when her mother served cold mutton for dinner one time too many -
But no more - you can find lamb in just about any US supermarket, but not adult sheep meat. You’d have to live on a wool farm even to get some. Hardly anyone even knows just how disgusting cold mutton must be to inspire murder. And who knows what a muttonchop even looks like?
So what happened to mutton? Is it just some story about the development of railroads and refrigeration facilitating ranching and factory farming of beef and chicken, so they became cheaper at the butcher shop? Or is it really all that vile by comparison?
It wasn’t just that Lizzie Borden’s mutton was cold, it was that the stew was old and gross and had been sitting on the stove for many days. Her living conditions were nasty and her home life was miserable.
Lamb is tastier, so has surplanted mutton. Sheep don’t tend to live long enough to become mutton - if they are destined to be eaten, they are killed as lambs.
And sevenwood, where in the UK was this? The only time I ever saw something specifically listed as mutton was in certain Indian restaurants, and they were the distinct minority.
Coming from an extended family of graziers, we usually fed on hogget, yearling or older stock. Lamb is lacking in flavour to my palate.
On this side of the puddle a whole lot of aged sheep go through the meatworks and yet mutton is rarely seen in the supermarket aisle in any form. It isn’t going into pet food, nor much for export. I suspect what people are eating as lamb roast is from older animals.
I think it might be to do with fat levels found within the muscle because sheep (or goat) meat is rarely served as minced/ground. You don’t see mutton/lamb/goat sausages, except in specialty butchers.
Or Indian markets…the one I frequent has both mutton and lamb in their Big Freezer o’ Meat. If you’re really lucky you can get a whole frozen leg of mutton. They’ve got goat meat and whole pigeons and big scary frozen fish too!
Lamb or lamb meal is commonly listed as ingredient in dog food. I haven’t looked up the definition to see if it really is what I would think of as mutton.
And she was also acquitted in a court of law and there are many alternative theories of the crime. Despite her reputation I don’t think we can really say Lizzie Borden definitely killed her parents period, let alone over cold mutton (which did seem to seriously food poison the entire household.)
Actually, sheep were very common in the US in the 19th century.
I have done some research on claims submitted to the Southern Claims Commission. These were claims filed after the Civil War by Southerners who had been loyal Unionists but whose property had been taken by Union Army foragers during the war.
What is striking about the claims is the huge number of sheep taken. Sheep seem to have been by far the most commonly pilfered livestock. It’s odd because in the same geographic region today there are hardly any sheep at all (and there have hardly been any during my lifetime).
It has occurred to me that maybe there used to be a lot more sheep because people were making wool clothing. Wool clothing is certainly less popular today than it once was.
Only when you compare them to the present day. True the Bordens lived below their wealth but they were no more worse (or better) than any of their neighbors.
I should know the answer to this living in a sheep producing nation but I’m a bit perplexed as well. I grew up eating hogget and mutton. Lamb was for export and too valuable to eat ourselves on our farm.
My wife being a town dweller only buys lamb and thinks mutton is low grade, not that I see it in the supermarkets anyway.
Adult sheep are still slaughtered. I think the biggest market is the Middle East followed by Russia.
Edit: just remembered I still eat it occasionally when my brother kills a ewe or weather for the table and gives us a roast. Lovely with roast vegetables.
