# Why isn't lamb more popular in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 23, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971 "2024-05-23T14:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/81 "2024-05-24T10:08:46Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Everyone seems to go for leg of lamb, but IMO, shoulder is where it’s at - the meat is quite fatty there but that means it cooks very tender I’m very much into lamb rump at the moment. Marinate for 24-48 hours, then sear rump steaks in a pan for a few minutes each side. Rest and slice as you would a tagliata steak. Pour over juices Lovely and tender. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/82 "2024-05-24T10:11:06Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I’m willing to bet that their lambs are grass fed, as opposed to corn fed American ones. Yes, we have a lot of grass in the UK and Ireland (and New Zealand). Grass fed is standard (for cattle also) > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > At my supermarket my choices of lamb are leg, chops, or ground. I’d love more variety. That does seem rather limiting. Even basic supermarkets here (UK) carry a whole array of cuts, from leg and shoulder to chops, mince, rump, neck fillet, steaks and the most pricey of all, cutlets/rack of lamb. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/83 "2024-05-24T10:16:50Z")
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen lamb rump offered as a cut. I’ll have to ask the butcher. I wonder if it’s a cut that is normally sold diced or minced. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/84 "2024-05-24T10:17:39Z")
They sell it even in Sainsburys, as rump steaks. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/85 "2024-05-24T10:29:46Z")
There is a bit of weirdness over the terminology of mutton. Whilst in the context of sheep, it is as you say, but it’s also very common for goat meat to be termed ‘mutton’, I think possibly regardless of age of the animal. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/86 "2024-05-24T12:03:04Z")
In our area goats and sheep herds are being used to mitigate fire risk by grazing down grass and shrubs in out green belts. They are browsers more than grazers, so there should be no competition with cattle. It’s cheaper and less destructive than sending in mowers and people with weed wackers to remove overgrowth. The animals do a great job and are quiet, and leave behind some fertilizer. I always joke at the end of the summer there will be a huge community cookout to trim the size of the growing herds, featuring birra and gyros! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/87 "2024-05-24T12:05:45Z")
I’m not really mutton-literate. I only know that it’s inedible to me. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/88 "2024-05-24T12:07:28Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > When I tried lamb I could not get the taste out of my mouth for hours. No amount of mint jelly or alcoholic beverages could ever induce me to try it again. I consider it to be vile. That’s unfortunate. I get it though. I’m the same with some cuts of venison. Some are delicious, some are just too gamey to manage more than a couple of bites unless they’re cooked just so. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/89 "2024-05-24T12:17:00Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Cattle wonder as they graze and they don’t eat grass down the the dirt. I love how this typo reflects both meanings of “ruminate.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/90 "2024-05-24T12:20:13Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > it’s also very common for goat meat to be termed ‘mutton’, It’s mainly South Asians (Indians) who use “mutton” to mean “goat.” I learned this the hard way — my Tamil-speaking FIL visited us in Kansas, and mentioned he loved mutton — and we found a family sheep farm nearby who sold it. FIL was unimpressed by the taste (and I later realized why), but nice enough to not complain. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/91 "2024-05-24T12:25:43Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > That’s unfortunate. I get it though. I’m the same with some cuts of venison. Some are delicious, some are just too gamey to manage more than a couple of bites unless they’re cooked just so. Yeah, I believe it’s the grass-fed New Zealand/Australia lamb that has a stronger, more gamey taste than US grain-fed lamb. I’ve definitely noticed a difference where some lamb meat I can barely tell it’s lamb, while other lamb meat is in-your-face LAMB!!! I like stronger flavors, so I don’t mind (and even prefer the latter, especially when cut with beef – there’s just a synergy between those two flavors). I live not far from an Arabic community, so it’s relatively easy to find all sorts of lamb parts here in local grocery stores: ground lamb, lamb shoulder, lamb breast, lamb chops. It wasn’t always this way, though. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/92 "2024-05-24T13:16:59Z")
Lamb shoulder is amazing and so is a good neck. There is a Basque restaurant in Elko, NV that makes a baked lamb dish out of what we think is a very generous neck cut and it is what made me fall in love with lamb. I don’t often make lamb because of the price and the lack of availability of these two favorite cuts where I live. I can find shoulder steaks but what I really want is a big hunk of it. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/93 "2024-05-24T13:21:04Z")
Great post/username combo! ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/94 "2024-05-24T13:33:14Z")
Well… I used to raise sheep - mine were hair sheep so for the record they were much cleaner than pigs or wool sheep and also delicious. I had them for training border collies for sheepdog trials but after Covid, the ones near me never came back so I let them go about 3 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Gr8LakesSrfr7of9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gr8LakesSrfr7of9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8LakesSrfr7of9)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/95 "2024-05-24T17:17:35Z")
I’m from the US and love my steak, burgers, chicken, and BACON! But I do like lamb too. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to Australia a few times. To answer the OP’s question it could be that the (almost non-existent) lamb industry in the US doesn’t have an effective marketing plan. I love the Aussie lamb meat commercials or advertisements though. Or, like someone else mentioned, it could be that the means of mass production didn’t evolve for lamb here. Fwiw, I’m merely speculating. I now want to find some lamb chops for the grill, ha ha. [2024 Lamb Ad The Generation Gap](https://youtu.be/V1e0apyGASc?si=---wU4ZTdmT2hE9e) ---
**Author:** ![Gr8LakesSrfr7of9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gr8LakesSrfr7of9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8LakesSrfr7of9)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/96 "2024-05-24T17:47:09Z")
[2016 Australia Lamb Ad Operation Boomerang](https://youtu.be/MFj5btBluNc?si=Os2II_rG1OoL1nyK) “…the kookaburra has landed…” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/97 "2024-05-24T17:50:22Z")
> [@LVBoPeep](#): > > There is a Basque restaurant in Elko, NV that makes a baked lamb dish out of what we think is a very generous neck cut and it is what made me fall in love with lamb. Oooh. We usually stay overnight in Elko on cross country trips. We’ve lazy and ate in the casino down the street from our hotel, but if we ever do it again I’m going to look this place up. Sounds great. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/98 "2024-05-24T18:11:52Z")
There were actual wars over sheep vs. cattle in the 19th century American West. Basically most of the range land was open access cattle grazing by about 1870, and the sheepherders were relatively new arrivals, and wanted to fence in the open range, which the cattlemen didn’t like. And since they’d been around longer, they were more ingrained into the culture of the West at that point, and tended to win their fights, either in the field or the courtroom. [Sheep wars - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_wars) Now why the cattlemen were already established and the shepherds weren’t, I don’t know. I suspect it has something to do with the Spanish hacienda system, which was also primarily cattle-oriented. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/99 "2024-05-24T19:14:52Z")
Tonight I’m making shepherd’s pie with actual ground lamb. I’ll report how the Mrs. and I think it compares to my cottage pie, where my recipe is exactly the same except for the use of ground beef in the latter. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971/100 "2024-05-24T22:56:36Z")
There are about 3-4 Basque restaurants (and not a single one in Las Vegas 😢) in Elko that are excellent but for me, [the Star](https://www.elkostarhotel.com/) is the best. It’s also rich in history, it was one of the original Basque boarding houses in Elko and they used to feed shepherds coming off of the hill. The Elko area also had its own sheep vs. cattle wars and there is a very pretty dirt road drive between the main highway and Lamoille, NV (also an incredibly cool place to visit near Elko) called Secret Pass because the Basque shepherds used it to move sheep around without using the main byways, to avoid the cattlemen. Edited to add, if you want to try the baked lamb, it may be a good idea to call ahead and make sure they reserve a portion for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-lamb-more-popular-in-the-us/1001971.md?page=6)