Age: The key difference between mutton and lamb meats is the animal's age. While mutton refers to the meat of an older animal (typically around three years old), lamb is the meat of a young animal (often around a year old).
Generally speaking, lamb is a more tender and delicately-flavoured meat. Mutton is a rich, slightly gamey cut with bold flavours which mellow and deepen when slow cooked. The cuts themselves tend to be larger and darker than lamb too.
In some parts of the world, mutton and lamb refer to the meat that comes from sheep, the only difference being age. So, mutton is obtained from older sheep, while lamb meat is from young sheep. In other parts of the globe, mutton refers to goat meat.
Of course, there are farms across the country which regularly serve up mutton on the dinner table, but it's a secret meal for the rest of Australia. Lamb meat is from sheep that are less than one year old, giving it a mild flavour. Mutton is from sheep that are older than one year, but usually around three years old.
Mutton is fattier and more flavourful than lamb, but it is also tougher, and will require more cooking, particularly if the meat is taken from a hard working part of the animal like the leg or shoulder. Where the animal was farmed may also have an impact on flavour and texture.
Lamb is less than 1-year-old meat from a sheep. Mutton is older than a year, generally 2 to 3 years old. Lamb is about 60 to 70% more expensive than Mutton.
Lamb is the name given to the meat from a young sheep, and is also the name given to the animals themselves, up until one year of age. After this, lambs are referred to as hoggets, but the meat will sometimes still be sold as “lamb”.
When it comes to sheepmeat, the definitions are vital – and changing! THE idea of mutton dressed as lamb is embedded in Australian society. And with it comes negative connotations associated with taste and quality.
Mutton is also popular in Australia.
"It is close to impossible to even find mutton in the U.S.," says Ken Albala, professor of history at California's University of the Pacific. "It costs more to raise sheep for longer periods of time, and the decline in wool production in the U.S. is directly related to the decline in mutton as a culinary delicacy."
Indian subcontinent
In India, "mutton" usually refers to meat that comes from goats— not sheep. Sometimes "lamb" is also used to describe meat that comes from a goat! In contrast, meat which comes from sheep is not as popular in India. While lamb meat is available, there is not much regulation or demand for it.
Because Americans prefer the more delicate taste of lamb, it is more expensive than mutton and much easier to find in regular markets. Common cuts in the U.S. are shoulder roast, rack, loin chops, and leg of lamb.
pork, flesh of hogs, usually slaughtered between the ages of six months and one year.
1. Age: The key difference between mutton and lamb meats is the animal's age. While mutton refers to the meat of an older animal (typically around three years old), lamb is the meat of a young animal (often around a year old).
A lamb is a sheep that is under 1 year old; between 1 and 2 years old you will find it sold as 'hogget' - which has a stronger flavour and slightly less tender flesh; anything over 2 years old is called mutton, which has a lot more flavour - but also a tougher flesh that will need slow-cooking to tenderise it.
beef, flesh of mature cattle, as distinguished from veal, the flesh of calves.
Today Aussie lamb is also raised for consumption to a specific size and weight which produces a quality product that is less expensive than American domestic lamb. It is of a medium size and resembles that of American lamb the most.
Australian Lamb is the #1 source of quality lamb in the US. Lamb from Down Under has the all-natural advantage. It's free-range and naturally fed on our abundant pasturelands, so it's mild tasting and naturally lean and tender. A pure product of its pure environment.
Australia's love of lamb has been shared with the rest of the world for decades for its buttery flavour and delicate texture, whether it's sliced medium-rare for a light salad, slow-cooked in a Massaman curry or sous vide for a butter-soft backstrap.
Sheep stations are in the southeast or southwest of Australia. In Australia, Sheep are raised for their wool and their meat (mutton and lamb). They are farmed in a variety of climate conditions from temperate regions, eastern highlands, mountain slopes, and even through to the semi-arid grassland regions.
Woolworths fresh lamb is 100% Australian. Only 20% of Woolworths' lambs are sourced from accredited saleyards with 80% sourced straight from the farm.
Hogget' refers to animals between 1-2 years old, and is a delicious combination of tender lamb and full-flavoured mutton. Hogget can be cooked hot and quick like lamb, or low and slow – anywhere in between and it might toughen up. It is a very versatile meat and has a nice fat to meat ratio.
The majority of sheep killed in Australia are lambs, slaughtered around 6 – 8 months of age. Sheep can naturally live up to 20 years, with a typical lifespan of 10-12 years. Every year an average of 22.72 million lambs are slaughtered.
Amid fears of a no-deal Brexit last year and high demand, UK sheep producers killed lambs early and adopted a cautious approach to this season, leading to a lamb shortage. Now prices have risen so high that Mr Debman can't countenance that his customers will stump up.
Lamb and beef have similar calories, total fat, protein, vitamin, and mineral content—but lamb (especially grass-fed lamb) is the winner when it comes to omega-3 fat content. Grass-fed lamb also has higher quantities of the healthy fat CLA, which is beneficial for cognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic health.