Eating lamb or goat meat

Sqeekyjojo
Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been wasting more time on the internet, and I clicked on a particular story, where the comments basically all said that very few Americans eat lamb.

I've never heard this before, and as I live in London, I often eat Turkish, Lebanese, Indian, Greek and Jamaican food. We've got tons of independent butchers and I regularly buy lamb or goat meat. There's also the traditional Sunday Lunch, which can be roast lamb, rosemary, potatoes, etc. Or Shepherds' Pie, which is made with lamb mince (Cottage Pie is made with beef). This is before you get to regional foods, such as Scouse (Lamb stew), Irish meals or any of the other variations.

Admittedly, eating goat isn't quite so common for your average Londoner, but it still seems really strange to me to think that these aren't normal foods for the US.


Is this true? Don't Americans eat lamb or goat? Or have I fallen for internet stories?
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Replies

  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    thats because theres no lamb burger yet. put anything in a burger, and it will get eaten state side.

    thats what I herd.
  • pkinblue
    pkinblue Posts: 140 Member
    I eat lamb--and always have and am American. I ate it roasted with mint jelly as a child and in Indian style stews as an adult. I even make the Indian stew at home from time to time. However--it isn't always stocked at the grocery and lamb chops are very expensive. I do eat goat--but only when out at Indian restaurants where they pass it off as lamb....but I can tell the difference.
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    This is pretty accurate. You could probably Google per capita consumption of lamb and goat by country, but I would bet that the US is way down the list for both.

    I am the only one in my family who will touch either, and I love both, but I only get to eat them on the odd chance that we are at a restaurant that serves them. Sadly, my consumption is limited to an occasional gyro sandwich, and rarely some cabrito (mexican style goat meat).

    :grumble:
  • pkinblue
    pkinblue Posts: 140 Member
    I eat lamb--and always have and am American. I ate it roasted with mint jelly as a child and in Indian style stews as an adult. I even make the Indian stew at home from time to time. However--it isn't always stocked at the grocery and lamb chops are very expensive. I do eat goat--but only when out at Indian restaurants where they pass it off as lamb....but I can tell the difference.

    oh--and if my DH is cooking Shepherd's pie he'll use lamb too.
  • Pearlyladybug
    Pearlyladybug Posts: 882 Member
    We had pet milking goats as a child and they thought of eating it just makes me feel a little werided out, But in saying that i love lamb and if i had a pet lamb as i child i would probably feel the same about that too ( I have also just started eating meat again after being a vego for years and somethings still freak me out)
  • oldandhealthier
    oldandhealthier Posts: 449 Member
    I would really like to eat more lamb and goat but it is so much more expensive than beef. I saw some at the store the other day and it was about twice the price of beef.:cry:
  • jsd_135
    jsd_135 Posts: 291 Member
    We have lamb maybe twice a month, usually loin chops or ground, for burgers or meatballs. I don't think it's commonly eaten in the U.S.. I mentioned the other day to a fellow soccer parent that we had lamb chops for dinner, and he said he'd never had lamb. As a kid growing up in the 70s, we never had lamb either. Both my parents apparently suffered through mutton every Wednesday in the 1940s and disliked it.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    i think lamb is gyro
    some americans do
    i sure dont
  • ddky
    ddky Posts: 381 Member
    Actually, I have heard that the area that I live in (western Kentucky) is unique in that we eat a lot of mutton bar-b-que. Most areas of the country use primarily beef or pork for bar-b-que. I was raised on the stuff, and all I can say is they don't know what they are missing.
  • oldandhealthier
    oldandhealthier Posts: 449 Member
    Actually, I have heard that the area that I live in (western Kentucky) is unique in that we eat a lot of mutton bar-b-que. Most areas of the country use primarily beef or pork for bar-b-que. I was raised on the stuff, and all I can say is they don't know what they are missing.
    You are so right I had bbq goat when I was in Alabama, incrediable
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
    I eat lamb or goat maybe 4 times a year but the first time I ever tried it I was already 23 years old!
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
    It really depends on the location, in more urbanized and diverse areas, you can find either on the menu. Where I live, it is easily found at an Indian (not Native American) or Brazilian restaurant.

    Most American Gyro cafes use beef as the 'gyro' meat, you have to specifically ask for lamb.

    I really like lamb when it is prepared well, I've never had goat but am willing to try it.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    I rarely eat lamb or goat. Goat isn't typically sold at regular stores, but you can usually get it at a halal butcher or a latino centered meat shop. Lamb can be found on the menu at most good restaurants. When I was a kid we had lamb about once a month... and ALWAYS with mint jelly. We do eat "lamb" gyros but they are not as ubiquitous as in the UK, and I'm afraid they're mostly beef with a bit of lamb for flavor anyway.
  • americangirlok
    americangirlok Posts: 228 Member
    Never have had either of them, so at least anecdotally that seems true. In OK it's pretty much pork, beef or chicken, sometimes turkey.
  • CarmenSandiegoInVA
    CarmenSandiegoInVA Posts: 235 Member
    I eat lamb, but, It's not very popular in the US yet. But, It's on the rise I think. Who would not love some delicious lamb chops cooked medium rare... Mmmm..
  • epie2098
    epie2098 Posts: 224 Member
    A British-born Canadian here. My husband, who is born and raised Canadian, won't touch either meat. Most North Americans of European descent love beef, pork, and chicken, with turkey on holidays. I've seen lamb in the freezer section, but never goat. That being said, I'm vegetarian, so don't eat either.
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
    Here in South Carolina I have never even known anyone who has eaten either lamb or goat.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Love goat meat!! :love: Lamb meat ok!! :ohwell:
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Pretty accurate I would say. It can be found pretty easily but I would not say its common. I raise and eat rabbits and that is not as common in the US as it used to be.
  • YolieCreator
    YolieCreator Posts: 173 Member
    I've only had it once. But was raised with a Japanese mom who did all the cooking. If she didn't know how to cook it we didn't eat it. I've been thinking about trying to make it, just trying to find a few good recipes and someplace to buy it from. Live in a relatively small town.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    Here in the states it's available, just very expensive. I don't eat lamb a fraction as often as I'd like to, because it's just too pricey. My husband and I have already decided (as soon as we have room for a deep freezer) to buy a butchered lamb from a local farmer and freeze it.
  • angelcurry130
    angelcurry130 Posts: 265 Member
    really expensive unless you know where to find it. i try to have lamb or goat at least a few times a year, though...on special occasions. :)
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    I've been wasting more time on the internet, and I clicked on a particular story, where the comments basically all said that very few Americans eat lamb.

    I've never heard this before, and as I live in London, I often eat Turkish, Lebanese, Indian, Greek and Jamaican food. We've got tons of independent butchers and I regularly buy lamb or goat meat. There's also the traditional Sunday Lunch, which can be roast lamb, rosemary, potatoes, etc. Or Shepherds' Pie, which is made with lamb mince (Cottage Pie is made with beef). This is before you get to regional foods, such as Scouse (Lamb stew), Irish meals or any of the other variations.

    Admittedly, eating goat isn't quite so common for your average Londoner, but it still seems really strange to me to think that these aren't normal foods for the US.


    Is this true? Don't Americans eat lamb or goat? Or have I fallen for internet stories?


    Yes, I'd say lamb is not a common meat eaten in the US. I'm an American and I'd say I eat chicken, beef, seafood, pork, and lamb in that order. I've never eaten goat, don't recall seeing it at my grocery store either.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    THIS American adores lamb and eats lamb kabobs at Lebanese restaurants every chance I get. I don't get lamb at the supermarket very often, because it's so expensive, but I love lamb. Rare, with Lebanese garlic sauce, or lamb chops grilled with rosemary, if I could afford the $12 per pound. A whole leg of lamb is over $40.00. I wouldn't know where to find goat, which I had in Jamaica in goat curry, except maybe to buy a live one and butcher it out myself, which I know how to do.
  • DivaLuvsDisney
    DivaLuvsDisney Posts: 75 Member
    Maybe it's a regional thing here in the US? I live in MA and you can find lamb everywhere....grocery stores, restaurants, etc. It's on sale all the time where I live too. I just bought boneless legs of lamb for $3.99lb last week and the chops always go on sale for $6.99lb. Goat is harder to come by, but my local Market Basket has it (as well as rabbit). The only restaurants we can find goat on the menu is Indian or a Tapas place.
  • shortchange1
    shortchange1 Posts: 146 Member
    I love lamb and have eaten it since I was a child. Goat is something I just recently tried and I really liked that as well, but then I was raised by an adventurous set of parents and often ate moose, venison, pheasant, reindeer, beef tongue, octopus, blood sausage, oxtail soup just to name a few of the things I've tried and looked.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    In the US, you can find goat meat pretty regularly at H-Mart ( Korean grocery chain) but they're not in every state. I'm lucky enough to have one close to me, and I buy some when it's avaliable.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    I have lamb fairly frequently because I work in a Mediterranean restaurant and gyros are very popular. I don't really care for it any other way though. Ive had goat meat...in Jamaica. I think its a pretty rare commodity in the US.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,281 Member
    This is pretty accurate. You could probably Google per capita consumption of lamb and goat by country, but I would bet that the US is way down the list for both.

    I am the only one in my family who will touch either, and I love both, but I only get to eat them on the odd chance that we are at a restaurant that serves them. Sadly, my consumption is limited to an occasional gyro sandwich, and rarely some cabrito (mexican style goat meat).

    :grumble:
    Goat is my favorite red meat, although I don't consume it very often, availability issues mostly........I don't buy frozen meat, ever. Lamb we have 3 or 4 times a month and is our red meat of choice, then venison. Our main animal proteins are fish/crustaceans. When we have dinner parties I'm known to serve lamb a lot and generally everyone looks forward to it and have over the years converted many people that said that they didn't like it......funny how that happens.
  • Lunachic77
    Lunachic77 Posts: 434 Member
    I didn't eat a lot of lamb when I was stateside, but when I moved to Germany there are a lot of dishes that have it. The Greeks make it the best IMO. It is quite delicious. Currently, here in Afghanistan lamb and goat are meal staples for the locals....much like beef & chicken for Americans. It is often stewed or cooked over a pit and served with a Nan type flatbread and rice...very delicious.

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