Lamb vs. Goat..... difference?

Gardener972

What is the difference in taste? Which one do you prefer and why?

Nick-H

I'd say there is no similarity. They are different animals with different meat.

I have a life-long passion for lamb, and a roast shoulder of lamb is my most favourite meal, the thought of which is one of the few things that can make me long for England!

Here, in Chennai, I enjoy "mutton", which is goat. lamb, which is sheep, is not generally available here, though I'm told it can be got from a few sources.

Yes, it is closer to sheep than cow is --- but still, not at all the same.

Katkoeta

What I understood, is that mutton is the meat of sheep. Although here in India it can be referred to goat as well.
So I wonder, when you buy mutton here, how do you know which one it is?

Haylo

It will be goat. Lamb is available in Delhi, but it is very expensive, there's no way you would buy it and not know what you were getting.

Gardener, I find that goat has a very slightly gamey flavour like venison but not as strong, a bit like lamb, slightly like beef, but also just a little bit like rabbit. Gah... Nick's right, it's just another different dead mammal - it tastes like goat!

It does not taste like chicken...

Really there's no substitute for tracking some down and trying it for yourself. It must be available in a big city like Dallas, it's an incredibly healthy meat with (I think) less fat than chicken. If nobody is selling it, get in there yourself and make a killing!

EDITED TO ADD: If you do try some, goat loin chops are particularly good.

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edwardseco

My spouse says there is no comparison betwen Kashmiri sheep mutton and that scavenger meat the rest of India eats..

Nick-H

Animals with big, thick woolly coats, that eat lots and lots of grass, wouldn't do well on the streets of Chennai. Goats, that eat anything, seem to do just fine. Whilst the sheep might manage to follow the cows' example, diet-wise, I think the climate would have them beat. "Mutton" is goat, here; as sure as eggs is eggs!

On the other hand, there are cooler climes in India's higher and more Northerly lands, where sheep might do well. Does anybody farm sheep there? (yes! I'm sure I recall a member telling me that sheep meet is available in the Nilgiris) If so, then the sheep/goat question would be appropriate there, but it isn't here.

Mutton is goat --- which is curious, as I believe the word comes from the Frech word for sheep! Mutton in UK refers to the cheaper cuts of the sheep, used for casseroles and stews.

abracax

Lamb - fry or roast.
Mutton - braise or stew.
Goat - into the pressure cooker with you.

It's all good.

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goangoangone

Mutton and lamb are from sheep. Mutton being from a mature animal and lamb from the young animal less than a year old. The best tasting "lamb" I ate was on the Greek island Samos. It was kid raised on the young tender mountain grasses.

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Hyderabadi

I believe you have the same dilemma I had after moving to the US. Go to any halal meat store and you have both listed.

I prefer goat meat, because it's closest to 'bakre ka gosh' from Hyderabad + surrounding area. Haylo is correct imho that goat meat is a little gamey, red meatish. I've found that lamb meat in the US tends to get dry when cooked Indian style, possible I'm not doing it right, somewhat like an overcooked chicken breast, know what I mean?

The Deccan goat or bakra meat(Hyderabad and around)is again completely different from what you get elsewhere in India, I found. Even elewhere (say coastal Andhra) within Andhra Pradesh, I found it's tougher and more gamey. OTOH, eating Meka(Mayka) / Goat meat was considered very lower middle class and cheap, years ago! Best tasting bakra is actually Potla, the male bakra of an ideal age... Confusing?

The famed Hyderabadi Biryani is what it is largely due to the quality and taste of locally available bakre ka gosh imo. There's a theory that the grazing grounds of the Deccan Plateau give the meat it's unique taste.

To keep it simple, bottomline, get goat meat in the US for Indian style recipes. Shoulder meat is tender and cooks easily in thin gravies. For 'sukha' or dry fry or slow cooked recipes I prefer 'raan' or back leg thigh meat. Most halal meat stores in Atlanta, I've found know the Hyderabadi preference. The guy at the store we regularly buy from is very very good, just tell him what you plan to make and he'll give you the appropriate cut. Possibly same where you live. There are several stores which buy from one wholesaler and stock in the freezer after a mark up. Try and find the wholesale store.

BTW, I find the chicken in halal meat stores better than the Megamart store chicken. Seems less steroidy, less fatty, more natural tasting and perfect for Indian style curries. Less 'meat' though.

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goangoangone

I have seen the woolly variety here. Many years ago when I went to Ghana, I was asked if I knew how to tell the difference between sheep and goats. An old boy reckoned, sheep tails hang down and goats' tails stick up. I don't know but have a look.

goangoangone

In the UK and probably the US, much of the fat has been bred out of animals. This could account for your lamb "drying" out. Shoulder and leg have about the same amount of bone but shoulder has more fat.

Hyderabadi

No doubt.

Plus, add all the steroids and confinement and you have the perfect recipe for unnaturally obese humans.

nycank

Lamb, in most of the US Agro-industrial meat processing plants are aged and marbleized. While the halal shops in major cities get their goats from small farms and slaughter it themselves.

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goangoangone

I know what marbled fat is. How do they "marbleize"?

Gardener972

Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutton
I, too, thought mutton was lamb. So when we go to an Indian restaurant here in the U.S., are they serving us lamb or goat? What about a Mediterranian restaurant?
We have a Mediterranian grocery store just down the street that has both lamb and goat; I will get both and do a taste test and will get back with you on the results.