Lamb – Lamb Meat

By lamb we mean a young specimen (not older than 12 months) of a sheep (female) or a ram (male, also called ram); from a taxonomic point of view, the animal belongs to the Bovidae family, Capridae subfamily, Ovis genus, Aries species ; the binomial nomenclature of the lamb, therefore, is Ovis aries .
The lamb is a herbivorous domestic creature subject to husbandry by humans. It can be slaughtered at a young age for meat production or, if left to mature, intended for the production of:

• Milk and dairy products (sheep)
• Wool (sheep and ram)
• Meat (sheep and mutton, the latter castrated or fertile).
• 

Lamb is a food of animal origin, rich in proteins of high biological value and B vitamins . It has meat that is appreciated by many but with a more intense taste than cattle and pigs ; also for this reason, lamb meat is highly appreciated by lovers of sheep meat and intolerable for those who, on the contrary, do not like the typical taste and aroma of the animal. NB . Compared to sheep, mutton and mutton, lamb is undoubtedly the most delicate meat.

Description

Lamb is a herbivorous animal. Initially it feeds exclusively on breast milk and weaning occurs around 6 weeks after birth. The lamb has a temporary dentition and is characterized by eight milk incisors (on the jaw) of which only the two front ones are replaced at around 12 months of life; the others undergo replacement over 4 years or more.
Compared to the adult animal (from 1 to 16-19 years), the lamb is smaller in size and varies based on the breed it belongs to; sometimes the hair (still not completely woolly) is darker than that of the sheep and the ram, while the horns (if present, once again depending on the breed) are not well formed.
NB . The sheep’s horns, contrary to what one might believe, are not always a peculiarity of the ram; some breeds have them in both sexes, others in neither, still others see them appear on sheep instead of mutton.

Lamb meat – gastronomy

Lamb meat can be classified as lean , although it is necessary to take into account that the values ​​reported below refer to pieces “deprived of visible fat “. The lipid intake essentially depends on the cut but, in general, it is never comparable to that of adult sheep, cattle or pigs . Lamb, in its lean pieces , is however fattier (even if slightly) than breast obtained from poultry meat WITHOUT skin (chicken, turkey , etc.). On the other hand, let’s remember that traditional lamb-based recipes are almost never dietary in nature, with the exception of grilled ribs ; a light variant of baked lamb is Lamb with pistachios (Alice’s video recipes), while the fattier lamb-based preparations are: fried lamb chops (breaded), lamb in fricassee (plenty of oil), leg of baked larded lamb etc.

Properties and nutritional values

The lipids contained in lamb are predominantly saturated but, since they are contained in modest quantities, they should not have a negative impact on the lipemia of the healthy subject. The quantity of cholesterol does not differ much from the average of the meats on the market, but it is advisable to pay attention to coratella , as it belongs to the offal group .
As mentioned, proteins are present in good quantities and have a high biological value ; There are NO carbohydrates or fiber .
The overall energy intake is not excessive and for some cuts it even appears low; the most important one refers to the average of meats deprived of visible fat (Lamb, raw), since these also include the belly and other more fatty parts.
Among the mineral salts, the contents of potassium and iron stand out (the latter is very useful in case of iron deficiency anemia ), while as regards vitamins, the contribution of niacin ( vitamin PP ) is notable .

Nutritional composition per 100g of Lamb, raw; Cooked lamb; Lamb, leg, raw; Lamb, leg, cooked; Lamb, chop, raw; Lamb, chop, cooked; Lamb coratella [ heart , lungs , liver , spleen , kidneys ] – Reference Values ​​of the Food Composition Tables – INRAN