Why don't we, as Americans, eat lamb and goat?

[Aerows]

Both are delicious, and are far more easily kept than cattle. Just something I wonder, because I've had all three, and lamb is scrumptious, goat is hearty and beef is, well, beef.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I eat lamb and I've eaten goat.

Unfortunately, the goat was stringy and full of tiny bones. I ate it once.

[Aerows]

5. Goat is delicious if cooked properly

I'm asking because as a per acre animal, goat and sheep are far less needy than cattle.

[Egalitarian Thug]

75. Tiny bones? You got something that probably wasn't goat.

Or maybe somebody didn't know how to butcher one? Anyway, goat is really good when done properly.

[pscot]

175. Now we know

what happened to the hamster.

[Aerows]

178. LMFAO

I guess LOL

[Egalitarian Thug]

206. You try to teach them not to crawl into the oven, but...

[Aerows]

213. You are just

hilarious ET

[elleng]

2. We do.

(Or, I do.) Lamb was my Dad's favorite, and a dear friend 'grew up' with goat, he's introduced it to me, so I'm eating it now. Can't speak for anyone else.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Price ?

[Aerows]

8. They are so much easier to keep

Sheep, especially, than cattle per acre. I don't understand it. I LOVE lamb.

[Yavapai]

123. Unless you live in chupacabre country!

But actually, it is quite good in the Mexican food known as birria.

[Aerows]

171. I'll eat

a Chupacabra before it eats me!

*smirk*

[riderinthestorm]

9. Yup. I'd guess price as well. Beef and poultry are much cheaper in the US right now.

I'm thinking the wool market also has something to do with it as well.

[tk2kewl]

58. I love lamb but only have it as a treat because it is pricey

love me some lollypop lamb chops... yum

[Horse with no Name]

120. Boer goats are called "meat goats"

they are relatively inexpensive to purchase and relatively inexpensive to feed out.

[Aerows]

214. Why aren't we herding more of these guys?

They taste great, and they grow BIG like cows, but can browse on anything without it affecting meat quality.

[Wait Wut]

4. I love lamb.

But, I ain't eatin' no goat. I've wanted a pygmy goat as a PET since I was a kid (heh...get it?). Eating one would ruin my dream.

[Aerows]

12. Goats rock

They are very smart animals, and friendly, too.

[Wait Wut]

142. Love the pygmies.

There was one particular one that I fell in love with as a little girl at the Brookfield Zoo petting zoo (Chicago). Drove my family crazy because that had to be the FIRST place we went. Ever since, I've wanted one of my own. But, they're tough to take care of and I really don't have the time.

[Aerows]

168. They aren't tough to take care of

Last edited Tue Aug 7, 2012, 08:08 PM - Edit history (2)

unless you live in the city. Nubian goats are beautiful pets, and you can even milk them. They have beautiful goat eyes with delightful horizontal pupils. They have pygmy nubians, too, and you can milk them - and they give a great amount of milk - if you just introduce a billy once or twice a year.



Supposedly, they are great companion goats. The pygmy's particularly are friendly pets. They were bred that way to keep a sheep herd together.

[MuseRider]

13. I have eaten goat and it is tasty!

However I am now a vegetarian so would not eat it again AND I have 2 little goats and they are delightful. Nothing could ever get me to eat goat again

[Wait Wut]

143. Awwww...what kind?

My favorites are the Pygmy goats, but there is another breed that I can't remember the name of that is actually kind of pretty. Longer hair...begins with an "a" I believe.

[Aerows]

152. Angora goats?

They are bred for hair.

[Wait Wut]

156. No, but they're pretty cute, too.

It may have been this one. They had one mixed in with the Pygmies when I was little.

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/ (Australian Goat-link just takes you to a generic page)

It's tough to remember stuff when you get old.

[exboyfil]

6. I think it is economics

Lamb goes for twice as much as beef, and it because of the technology and industrialization associated with beef (think hormones, antibiotics, techniques for fattening immediately prior to slaughter). Such approaches may have less bang for your buck with lamb and goat. It is the same monoculture that we see with corn and soybeans. We will feel the effects of pushing nature like this some day (and already are in many cases especially with the hormone exposure). Goats and chickens are a great idea though. Even free range pigs. Free range cattle also have their place as well. Without the vast technology used for beef, pork, and chicken far more people would go to a higher vegetable diet (based on more plant protein sources). We could not afford it otherwise. Before someone says they pay as much for a 4H cow as the supermarket - think about if everybody were buying 4H cows.

[Aerows]

10. I don't think you need the bang for the buck factor with sheep and goats, though

They already have a footprint that is far smaller than beef cattle. You can raise, pound for pound, more sheep and goats than you can cattle by far.

[exboyfil]

24. I wonder why it does not translate in the grocery store?

Could it be that the goat and sheep ranchers need to get some good PR firms out there? Also look for alternative sources of distribution. When I have researched lamb I have never found it could fit into my food budget. It may be since I am in the middle of Iowa though.

[Aerows]

35. PR firms

Lobbyists

I think you are on to something.

[RebelOne]

7. I have eaten both.

The goat I had was delicious. It was curried and cooked by a Jamaican friend. I had lamb in Barbados. It was also delicious. But I do not eat either now as I am a vegetarian.

[friendly_iconoclast]

48. +1. Curried goat FTW

And as noted elsewhere, goats and sheep have far less impact on the environment than beef cattle when managed properly. However, goats can be incredibly destructive if they go feral.

[Aerows]

56. Goats can be incredibly destructive

But they can also be incredibly beneficial if you harness the fact that they can eat plants that are harmful to humans. They rent them out in areas where there are poisonous flora to cattle.

There are about 8 flora that are poisonous to humans, and our hooved friends seem to like them a lot. They are capable of eating things like poison ivy and poison sumac while smiling about it.

[RebelOne]

88. I had a friend in Florida who kept a goat in her huge back yard.

She never had to mow as that goat kept it trimmed.

[panader0]

137. My friend's wife in Oregon was very reactive to poison ivy.

They had patches of it on their property, so they bought a goat and penned it in the poison ivy patch. The goat ate the poison ivy, the wife drank the goat milk, and her problem with poison ivy disappeared.
When my kids (he-he) were little, their babysitter had goats/goats milk. They loved it. Of course they didn't know what they were drinking.

[IDemo]

11. My opinion: neither is delicious

I tried a gyro with lamb years ago and it tasted approximately like a mildewed dishrag. And any recipe calling for feta cheese gets a replacement by any other available white cheese.

[grasswire]

17. 180 degrees different from me!

Greek food with lamb and feta is the food I crave. And it's not an ethnic thing -- I am as WASP as a person can get.

[Aerows]

32. No kidding

I'm a WASP, too, and lamb gyros are heavenly. When I brought over some lamb at the family cookout, my father dismissed it as "mutton". I think it has a bad reputation as famine food, when it is just as delicious and any beef ever cooked.

[OriginalGeek]

91. HA! "kidding" ;-)

Greek food is one of my favorite things - I love gyros whether they come from the great Mediterranean Cafe by my work or the trailer at the fair or the little kit they sometimes have at my grocery store. Add some feta and pita and olives and some hummus somewhere and I may not surface until I explode.



never tried curry goat before but now I think I'll go look for it...

[Aerows]

150. Tzatziki

Is a must on that gyro I could eat them every day if they are slathered with tzatziki

[OriginalGeek]

161. Ab So Lutely!

its funny you mention that - I usually order my gyros with no onions (I just don't like big chunks of raw onion) and about half the time they don't give me the Tzatziki either (i guess there is some onion in that?) and I have to tell them Whoooooooooooooooaaaa up there pardner, you spread that tzatziki all over that sucker!

If there are onions in the sauce I don't care - it's a beautiful thing.


the cafe by work will even line the pita with hummus before stuffing it with all the regular gyro stuff. I love them.

[Aerows]

165. Now

You are just teasing me . I'm hungry just thinking of a gyro LOL

[Aerows]

19. What taste did you not like?

And may I ask, what is your favorite meal? I'm curious what taste was so strong that made you dislike it. Not judging, just asking

[IDemo]

28. I don't really have a favorite

It was definitely the lamb, after one bite I couldn't continue with it. My lunch partner offered to finish it and enjoyed it.

We do almost all of our own cooking and most of it is pretty predictable - beef stew, chili, stir fry, roast chicken and veggies. Bruschetta mozzarella last night, easy and delicious! Swiss steak is another great one.

[Aerows]

33. It does have it's own "savory" taste

That is for certain. You probably don't like venison, either, I'd gather because lamb has a very light "gamey" flavor.

Like the taste between duck and chicken, and some duck tastes closer to chicken than other breeds.

[IDemo]

36. Correct

No venison for me, but I do like elk jerky. And I've been told by a former duck hunter that it's definitely an acquired taste.

[Aerows]

62. Nothing wrong with that

Glad you found something that appeals to your senses, and is pretty health. Elk is a very healthy meat.

[Blue_In_AK]

157. Have you ever eaten moose meat?

It is really wonderful and has none of the gamey taste that venison does.

[Aerows]

176. That sounds heavenly

if I ever get up your way, I will have some of that .

[Horse with no Name]

122. Interesting point. I like goat

but I do not care for lamb, venison or duck.

[Aerows]

180. They are more oily meats

Goat is pretty dry, as is chicken. I'm guessing, but I think that's why people don't like it.

[smirkymonkey]

195. I'm not sure why, but Lamb tastes like dirty socks to me - I suppose it's a matter of taste buds.

It kind of runs in one side of my family. None of us like it. On the other hand, I have had goat in the Carribean and found it quite tasty. I guess it boils down to the fact that there is no accounting for taste. I can't understand why some people can't stand things like tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and other vegetables. I love them all.

[gvstn]

34. Lamb just like beef

can have a gamey taste depending on the individual animal. Good lamb is delicious.

I've found the last 10 years that both steaks and lamb chops are both random chance whether you get one that tastes as it should or gamey flavored. Something has changed at least in the supermarkets around here. I don't go to the butcher shop much but when buying a steak, I make the effort and expense because I have been disappointed so many times at the supermarket

[Aerows]

40. Rare Lamb

Especially shoulder, is so mouthwateringly delicious I'm surprised no one has caught on to it. It makes Filet Mignon look poor. I had it grilled to rare, and it was so good. Filet's are dry just like lamb shoulder cuts.

They cook up rare like heaven.

[Phlem]

202. What kind of spices would one use?

I'm a traditional salt and pepper only guy but I do every once in a while like the steak sauce.

PS.
I've had the opportunity to buy some dry aged, grass fed hanger steaks that grilled rare to pure perfection. That was a salt and pepper cook and it was really, really good.

-p

[Retrograde]

205. Some people go one better and eat it raw

Kibbeh nayyeh is a Middle Eastern dish made with raw minced lamb, bulgar and spices. I made some once and it was delicious! And the leftovers made good meatballs the next day.

[Freddie]

170. Gyros are yummy!

IMO the sauce & onions hide the taste of the lamb! Had plain lamb once, tasted "gamy" to me.

[Retrograde]

181. Lamb can have a very strong flavor

Especially meat from older animals, like a lot of the American-raised lamb I've been getting recently. Australian and New Zealand lamb tends to be younger and to me, milder tasting. Feta's a rather strong cheese, but to me the dominant flavor is salt.

[grasswire]

14. I would eat more lamb if it were not so expensive.

As it is, lamb is now a once or twice a year treat. I would eat it once a week, probably. Shish kebab. Mmmm.

(I'm talking about home cooking. I do eat lamb more if we count eating out.)

[morningfog]

15. This American eats lamb anytime I see it on a menu.

I've had goat, but prefer lamb.

[HappyMe]

16. Lamb is expensive.

I don't know if I would try goat. Friends of mine have a couple of goats. I would keep thinking about Bertha and Stanley, if I tried to eat it.

[Aerows]

44. Why is lamb so expensive?

Pound for pound, they produce more meat per acre than cattle.

[bullwinkle428]

55. I generally pay around $8/pound for ground lamb - I love it as an alternative

to ground beef hamburgers, which tend to be closer to $4.50/pound, but don't buy the lamb too often due to the price premium. Yes, the taste is slightly different from ground beef, but I personally love that minor distinction. Who wants to taste the exact same thing all the time?

[Egalitarian Thug]

85. Sheep farms don't enjoy the massive subsidies that the beef industry does.

My friend's that own a sheep dairy sell every drop of milk long before the sheep give it, and they get a very high price for it, so the demand is there. The sheep farmers just need to buy themselves a couple of Senators and a couple of dozen Representatives to get that cash flowing.

[Aerows]

99. That sucks

I would love fresh sheep milk and fresh sheep meat, but god help someone making a damn omelet that isn't regulated.

Got to keep the money flowing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

146. Are you sure "they produce more meat per acre than cattle"?

Have you some figures for that? In Britain, from the same organic farm, lamb joints suitable for roasting are normally more expensive than beef roasting joints.

[Aerows]

162. In the US

We generally have more grazing area than Britain, and yes, I have figures for that. Sheep and goats use far less land per Kg than cows. Please hang on while I bring up the figures, since I'm not one to post out of my ass.

But thanks for asking.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/as-fact/0014.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

179. If that's the figures, it only makes vague statements about goats, on marginal land

"Because of their foraging characteristics, meat goats fit well on poor or fair grazing areas as long as adequate plant material is available to consume." ... "Goats also complement both sheep and cattle in marginal grazing lands. Goats are considered excellent browsers and consume a higher percentage of brush and other less desirable plants. This allows goats to maximize the use of marginal pasture land as well as improved forage production systems."

[Aerows]

187. I apologize

for not producing a scientific report better than the one I offered. I'll find another one. I truly am sorry that the data I proffered was not scientific enough, given that goats and sheep have been herded for centuries.

I assure you, I will find another one that is less "anecdotal" for your tastes.

[Igel]

215. Lamb's like veal.

You have an adult female, you get an offspring.

You can let the offspring mature for a year or two and get more money for it. Beef and mutton.

Or you can kill the thing while it's young. A veal's bigger than a lamb by far. Either way, for that adult female you get a small amount of meat from its young. And a lot of grief from the, "Aw, but it's so cute!" crowd.

At least with the cow you can milk it. Most people wouldn't want sheep milk. Then again, you don't ever hear of things made out of cow hair. You can shear a sheep.

Americans don't do mutton, either. At least not most Americans.

Don't know about goats. Perhaps they're too gamey? Goat's milk is nice. Usually.

[Phlem]

204. First off

I would imagine just like any other meat, there is a prime age for processing. I probably wouldn't go out and gut Bertha and Stanley just to try goat.

Now with respect to lamb, your damn straight, it is expensive in the fillet style which is why I do a shank with an Osso Buco recipe. Shanks seem to be within reason on a budget and I know they're awesome, so if your recipe doesn't cut it, something went wrong. There's a authentic, rustic Italian restaurant that my and I frequent on special occasions and the man just does the best Osso Buco ever, every time!

-p

[raccoon]

20. ITA. And since gators have made such a comeback, we should eat more gator as well. nt

[Aerows]

46. You must be from Louisiana

I ate gator bites as a babe. Those things are delicious fried.

[raccoon]

54. SC, but we also have gators. I've only tasted it once, but yes, it is delicious fried.

And since we frequently hear of a gator in somebody's house, pool, etc. (In FL, it always seems. Maybe their gators are more outgoing than in other states.)

[Aerows]

67. Gator

Is delicious. It's a cross between chicken and frog-legs without the nasty taste of flog legs.

Moar Gator .

[Aerows]

97. Six foot gator and couldn't even get in the door to work, because the thing was sitting there

Yeah, Florida is funny, and some idiots threw rocks at a six-foot gator to make it leave the front door so we could get into work.

Uh, no. I got in my car, and was scared as shit.

[AnnieBW]

183. I had Gator Bites in Florida

They were pretty good. Of course, it was following the Southern recipe of "anything tastes better when it's fried." They were kinda like calamari, only not as gummy.

[1-Old-Man]

21. Why? Because of the money of course. There is little profit in them.

I don't know why you think they are far more easily kept than cattle. They may forage on stuff that a cow won't eat (a goat will starve to death in a field of grass) and I don't believe they put on much weight in comparison to feed consumed. Oh, and while I've never raised them it is my understanding that sheep suffer from all manner of problems with parasites and of course predators. As for their quality as food, I have little experience with either. When I was a kid we used to eat a good bit of lamb but I've only had chevron (goat meat) once. We barbecued a young goat a few years ago for a party, it was very good. However for the amount of meat it produced and the pain in the butt of cleaning it I would have to say that it wasn't any better than eating a small deer. I personally didn't care for it all that much.

[Aerows]

81. That is your experience raising

Sheep and goats? Oh my. Not the experience of people I know who grew up on farms at all. But you are welcome to your opinion.

[Horse with no Name]

124. Not my experience either

and I was raised on a farm that had cattle, sheep and goats.

Goats will NOT starve to death in a field of grass. That is just about the most absurd statement I have ever read...even on the internets,lol.

They are actually very smart animals.

Some sheep do have some digestive issues...but that is typically the sheep that are being fitted for show when the diet is high protein that they aren't used to...and there are ways to get around that as well.

[1-Old-Man]

136. Wanna bet?

I did not say they were stupid, I said they would starve to death in a field of grass. Goats will not eat off the ground and very little below eye level, hence the statement.

[Aerows]

192. This is such an absurd statement

I'm not sure how to refute it. Goats have horizontal irises for a reason. Eye level to a goat is very different than that of a human, a cat or a horse.

I'll leave it there.

[Aerows]

191. Not mine, either

I think we have a person blowing hard with little to say.

[1-Old-Man]

135. Son, its not an opninion

I thought I made it clear, I have raised goats but not sheep. Sorry if you misunderstood. Although I raised goats we did not eat them, it was just for the milk. The one goat we put on the spit was a kid from a friend of ours who raised a lot more goats than we did. They birthed so many they had to get rid of the male kids, right after birth. He was just shooting them in the head and tossing them in a pit. If your experience raising them is different tell me about it, I'm interested.

[Aerows]

189. Address me as Daughter, since I am female, first off

And I'm not particularly interested in talking to a person that insults me right off the bat. My mind may change, but for heaven's sake don't be so offensive. We are just discussing food and farm life - no need to get bent out of shape.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

210. I don't think this poster will be here long.

All of his posts are like this. I doubt this is his first go-round on DU.

[Ganja Ninja]

22. Both Lamb and Goat can be gamey depending on the cut and the way it's prepared

lamb not so much but goat especially.

[Cairycat]

23. There is a small specialty market developing for goat

here in Iowa to sell to Bosnian and other immigrants. But I suspect the problem with both meats is the marketing.

I find both goat and lamb delicious. Lamb is expensive as hell here in Iowa. The butchers always tell me all the demand is on the east coast. That's a pity because we raise some fine lamb here.

Among older people, there may be some who think lamb tastes just like mutton, which is stronger-flavored, something you'd need to develop a taste for.

[Aerows]

76. I got some shoulder ribs here

for about $1 /lbs and leapt on it.

I don't think I'll ever see such prices again, but I'm loving that I got shoulder ribs at that price.

[Alameda]

109. Mutton is not lamb.

I'ts an older animal, and would have a stronger taste. Perhaps that is what the people who complain about the taste of lamb, they had mutton, not lamb.

[frazzled]

140. Goat is quite popular here in Chicago

Not just in various ethnic restaurants (there's even a butcher specializing in goat meat not far from me) but ... in a super popular upscale restaurant called The Girl and the Goat. You have to wait like 3 months for a reservation. We took my (vegetarian) daughter-in-law there for her birthday, and while we ordered all vegetable-based dishes (delish!), my husband ordered a goat pate that I tasted. It was super. There are many goat-based dishes on the menu.

I eat plenty of lamb (including a French stew recipe I make every spring that has fresh fava beans, baby turnips and ... champagne!) but I have to say the "idea" of eating goat is a little out of my comfort zone. I've loved goats since I was a child going to the state fair. They're so cute. I just don't relish the thought of eating one.

[fishwax]

200. Stephanie Izzard's restaurant that she opened after winning Top Chef

I'd like to go there sometime when I'm up in Chicago, but haven't yet had the chance. I've heard a lot of good things about it, though.

[Major Nikon]

207. Goat is widely available in Texas

However, it does tend to be expensive.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

25. I've had lamb couscous and shawarma lamb in France

where they have a lot of North African restaurants. It's wonderful. Rabbit, which is often eaten in many countries and can be delicious if well-prepared is another protein source that most Americans shun. When I mention how delicious a rabbit civet in wine sauce can be, some people look at me as though I discussed the eating of a cat or dog.

[CatWoman]

26. because both are so damned cute?

[ceile]

27. mmmm...cabrito

we had some slow roasted cabrito for xmas one year, so yummy.
not a big fan of lamb. like it in Mediterranean cooking, but lamb chops- not so much.

[Aerows]

41. Cabrito

... :drool:

[OriginalGeek]

96. it's been 30 years since i was there last

but Mama Rosas in Fort Worth, TX sold some excellent cabrito burritos. A couple bucks for a burrito the size of my head. Maybe it just seemed that big to my then 120 lbs lighter frame...lol

It was just a little, dingy hole in the wall and I don't even know if the lady in back was named Rosa but she treated everyone as if they were her children and she fed us good.

[drm604]

29. Americans do eat lamb, and I suppose, sometimes eat goat.

It's pretty common to eat lamb or mutton, although not as common as beef or pork or poultry. Supermarkets often have lamb available. I don't think I've ever seen goat for sale.

[MadrasT]

30. Well I don't eat them because I don't eat mammals.

My grandparents ate lamb.

There are a few meat goat farms around my house in PA.

I don't know why more cow and pig eaters don't eat goats and sheep.

I am dying to have pet goats and sheep but they would be friends, not food.

[Aerows]

50. You could do both

Goats and sheep depend on having a herd. It would probably ease the mind of some "eating goats" if they were around your "friend goats".

[RebelOne]

184. I feel the same way now.

I have eaten goat and lamb, but I am a vegetarian now and animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends.

[Enrique]

31. i agree with the people saying economics

as far as people liking the taste, I think that is a function of economics. People eat it more, learn how to cook it, they'll start liking it.

I heard something interesting on the Young Turks, that at one time, lobster was considered so disgusting in America that it was only fed to prisoners.

[grasswire]

78. yep

It is kinda gross if you remember they are like big bugs. Pilgrim settlers only ate them because they hadn't figured out how to catch the monster codfish yet -- didn't have hooks big enough.

I love lobster and crab, but I always get that unwelcome "this is a bug!" thought as I munch away.

[Initech]

37. There's a restaurant by where I work that serves a lamb burger with feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, on pita bread.

Quite amazing.

[get the red out]

38. I wasn't brought up eating it

So I've shyed away from it. I tend to not eat really unfamiliar meats, just a quirk. I love goat cheese though, YUM!

[MadrasT]

111. Goat cheese.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

[closeupready]

39. Poor country dietary staples are lamb, geese, pork and chicken,

because they are relatively easy to raise, and cheap.

Rich countries, like the US, consume more beef and veal, for a lot of intuitive reasons.

That said, I love lamb - goat I don't like that much.

I am a confirmed carnivore and will try anything once.

I would eat lamb more (I eat it pretty frequently, as it is), except it's not as widely available here in the US. Same with goose - I love the flavor of geese and duck, but again, they aren't widely available, and are considered 'gourmet' whenever they show up on a menu.

[Care Acutely]

42. Why don't we, as Americans, try eating a little less meat?

Healthier for the planet and us.

I did not say give it up. I said eat less.

[n2doc]

43. Love lamb, dislike goat

But lamb is expensive around here.

[AnnieBW]

186. I LOOOOVE Lamb!

It's my favorite meat. I've only had goat at my local Indian buffet, and that was Goat Curry. It wasn't that great. I'm sure that there's other ways to cook it, though.

[Erose999]

45. Beef is cheaper to mass-produce using factory style farming. More meat yeild per animal. Goat/Lamb

were popular in the old world because they needed little pasture land. In the new world, with its near infinite pastures and railroads for taking livestock to market in distant urban cities, cattle proved the more suitable livestock for frontier ranches.

[JustAnotherGen]

47. We eat

Lamb regularly in our home. Goat - jmho - does NOT suit my palate at all.

[msanthrope]

49. I eat both. But I've had quite a few dinner guests who have a 'first-time'

experience at my table.

Not surprising about the goat. But I am surprised about the lamb.

My family is Sicilian..we ate much more goat, lamb, pork and veal than we ever did beef (some don't consider the difference between veal and beef, but there's a great deal of difference.)

[AtomicKitten]

51. Because baby lambs and goats are so cute?

&playnext=1&list=PLF8325DD81F91E03A&feature=results_main

[EC]

52. Good ?

since both are very European and many of us are of European descent. Why did not the early settlers have sheep and goats? I know the west changed to cattle, but why didn't the sheep and goats become our main proteins?

[MineralMan]

129. In the 18th and much of the 19th century

mutton was a regular item on American tables. As beef became more widely available, the American palate changed, and mutton became unacceptable to most people. Personally, I love mutton, but cannot buy it anywhere. I ate lots and lots of it while stationed in Turkey in the late 60s. I miss it, but wouldn't serve it to my wife or guests. I doubt they'd enjoy it. If you amplify the taste of lamb about four times, that's mutton. Yum!

[azurnoir]

53. Lamb is great but in the US it's expensive

Lamb chops which look like mini T-bones go for around $15 a lb in my area which puts it well outside of most families food budgets, ground lamb is cheaper at around $5-6 a lb but the quality can be questionable some is very fatty or the freshness is in question

[Odin2005]

57. Mutton was considered a "lower class" food than beef or pork.

And lamb has always been expensive for the same reason veal is, it's from juvenile livestock.

[WCIL]

59. I can't stand the way lamb smells

when it is cooking, so have never tasted it. I haven't tried goat because I have never seen it at the store and don't know where to get it.

[Matariki]

60. What are you talking about?

I had a couple dozen people over this weekend for a delicious Lamb Curry. I've been eating the leftovers all week. And the Haitian recipe for Goat Bits. Yum.

[LadyHawkAZ]

61. I like lamb

There's a Greek place not far from me that does a gyro to die for. It's expensive to buy at the store and cook yourself, though.

I've never tried goat. I'd like to, at some point.

[BOG PERSON]

63. i love lamp

[Warren Stupidity]

64. I eat GoFu.

Does that count?

[jwirr]

65. We have turkeys, geese, chickens, pigs, goats and wanted to raise lambs also but could not find

any for sale in our area. Meat is much easier and cheaper IF you can grow it yourself. So far we have not eaten goat because grandchildren think of them as pets. I suggested rabbits also but my son-in-law just shook his head - can't eat the easter bunny.

[quinnox]

66. I eat lamb all the time

I'm always buying lamb at the store, and it is so delicious. I love it! Goat? Hmm, never had that, that sounds like something that would be hard to find.

[MineralMan]

130. If there is a halal market where you are,

they will almost certainly have goat available. Prepare it just like lamb.

[doc03]

68. I don't know, could it be there is no lamb and goat lobby?

[Tom Ripley]

69. Lamb was a staple in America until the American Beef Council started advertising and lobbying...

heavily in the late 50s.
My 71 year old mother doesn't eat lamb now because she ate so much of it growing up

[OriginalGeek]

100. My mother-in-law is the same with beef -

her dad owned a dairy farm in Indiana and insisted on steak for dinner every night. (never was clear if that was just because he could afford to or if the "non-producers" periodically got re-deployed as dinner so they had plenty). But she'd just as soon have a grilled cheese sandwich as a steak...and to really get back at beef, when she does have a steak, she gets it well done.

[madokie]

70. Sheep are rough on a pasture

they pull the grass up by the roots so farmers don't like them. Cows bite the grass off above the ground leaving the root intact so it can come back.
Skin a goat and a deer and you can't tell the difference between the two or most people can't.
When I was in the Navy we eat lamb

[Aerows]

89. Skin a cat and a rabbit

and see if there is a difference when the feet and paws aren't there.

Sheep and goats are easier on an area, pound for pound, than cows. That's my contention.

[madokie]

112. I'm not going to argue with you about the cows or sheep

all I know is sheep is rough on the pasture and that is why cattle farmers don't like sheep and its been this way since day one. Sheep have a tendency, like a horse for that matter, to pull the grass up by the roots rather than bite it off at ground level.

I've eat goat and I've eaten deer and for all intents and purposes if you don't know before hand what you're eating you won't know after eating. All you'll know is you eat something.

Rabbit and cat, sorry but I've never skinned a cat but I have many rabbits and I'll tell you right now that a cat carcass won't pass for a rabbit, sorry

[laundry_queen]

71. I simply don't like the taste.

I've tried different recipes with lamb. Still don't like it. I've had goat twice, hated it both times, even though it was prepared by my uncle who was of east Indian decent and grew up in Guyana and knew exactly how to prepare it. Of course the one time he made it, even he had to admit he couldn't eat it - not only was it an old, tough goat but we had just been to a petting zoo with our kids and they had the most adorable baby goats.

I also dislike moose meat and deer meat - even the good stuff that's not gamey or 'skunky' and is prepared right. With moose meat the texture is what does it for me. I've tried loads of recipes (when we lived up north friends would unload tons of moose meat on us for free) from stew to roast to burgers to meatballs and while they taste ok, the texture makes me gag after the first bite. Love bison meat though. Ate rabbit numerous times at a friend's house as a kid and loved it. But I can't eat reheated chicken, makes me gag too.

I think I'm just particular about the taste of things.

[AsahinaKimi]

72. When I was a kid I used to have to drink Goats milk (allergic to cows milk)

And there is a certain kind of Brown Goat cheese that I just loved, but I can never remember the name of it. Tasted like Caramel candy. But I could never eat Goat, Lamb, Pork, or Beef. My delicate system only allows me to eat Poultry and seafood.

[Aerows]

193. My nieces also are lactose intolerant

They must drink soy milk or goat milk. They love fried chicken that I make, though

[AsahinaKimi]

208. I found it

brunost

[hatrack]

73. I'm still trying to figure out why we don't eat bison . . . .

[grasswire]

80. a lot of bison in the market here in PNW n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

87. We do. Trader Joe's is one place I know that always has buffalo & beefalo.

Of course, it's mostly imported from New Zealand.

[MissMarple]

110. We eat more bison than beef.

A friend of ours raises bison. Bison pot roast is great. But then, I don't buy a lot of red meat.

[Egalitarian Thug]

145. Me either, for several reasons. but buffalo tastes much more like good beef properly

aged and butchered than the shit they sell today, just a little sweeter.

Mostly, we don't eat meat at all anymore because it's just so bad.

[formercia]

118. We probably would be eating Bison

But the Natives got in the way,

One of our least savory chapters of US History.

[kestrel91316]

74. Americans don't eat lamb?? That's news to me. Every grocery I've ever been in carries it.

Now mutton, that's another thing, as is goat. My dad was practically raised on mutton and beef on his parents' ranch.

[southernyankeebelle]

77. I love veal cutles. Usually I order from Krogers Lamp for Easter. It's hard to find here in the

rural area I live in. I have a guy that lives down the hollow that raises goats for showing at the fair. I think it is expensive. But I do love it. My son bakes a lamb roast. Delicious all I can say.

[handmade34]

79. suppose...

the same reason we don't eat dog, cat, rat, etc... culture and good marketing by the beef industry

[Aerows]

84. I brought to light

a question for the food consumption and providers.

People aren't going to stop eating meat, but it is worthwhile for them to find a more sustainable source.

[handmade34]

115. yes

I have raised all of the above mentioned animals at one time or another... and there are cultures that eat dog and cat and rat...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-17027361

beef cattle are rough on the environment and certainly contribute greatly to climate change... I don't eat any meat but if I did would want to eat those that tread lightly on the earth...

I am hoping to find some land soon and start a small farm.. plan to keep chickens and pigs and my partner eats goat and lamb, so will raise some for him...

[Courtesy Flush]

82. Or squab (pigeon)

It's eaten in other countries. Some American cities have problems with too many of them, but nobody will do the obvious thing, and eat them.

Here in Louisiana, the state government is also trying to get people to eat nutria again. It has become a hazard to the environment, and hunting them could be a partial solution. But the nutria, despite having been used for food in the past, has come to be known as "nutria rat," which makes people wince at the thought of eating one. They look like a beaver, except for the ratlike tail.

[dembotoz]

83. my father was in the pacific during ww2-got fed lots of mutton

and he would NEVER allow lamb into the house ever

hated it
hated it
hated it

have tried lamb a number of times
it was ok enough
but i tend to go with less expensive items

[geardaddy]

86. I love lamb!

Anything with lamb is great by me. Ditto on goat. They got actual flavor, unlike beef.

[Aerows]

90. I'd go out of my way

To eat rare lamb. It's so delicious, I can't imagine refusing it.

[geardaddy]

116. Me too.

I feel like Bubba Gump when it comes to lamb.

[rox63]

92. I think it probably has a lot to do with the cute/fuzzy factor of lambs and goats

I like lamb quite a bit. But because of the cost, I will generally only eat it when I go out. There's a sizable Greek-American community where I live, and there are a couple of good Greek restaurants in town. They both serve wonderful lamb dishes.

I've only tried goat once, and I didn't care for the taste or texture. I believe it was from a food stand at an ethnic festival, so it may not have been cooked in a way to best showcase what can be done with it.

[1monster]

93. Mary had a little Lamb

She had it with mint jelly.
And every where that Mary went,
That Lamb was in her belly.

Eat Mary's little Lamb?! :horrorsmiley:

You could eat these cute darling little animals?! NOOOOOOoooooooooo

[Yavapai]

125. Mary had a little Lamb,

...and I bet that hurt like hell!!!

[geardaddy]

94. Goat is becoming more available here in the Twin Cities

with all the Somali immigrants and their halal butcher shops.

[4th law of robotics]

95. English cultural holdover

cattle was a prestige-meat (goat and lambs are fine for peasants, but beef is the meat of kings).

[WI_DEM]

98. people do eat lamb--goat, I don't think so much.

[aquart]

105. You can get goat in halal markets.

If you like it, you need a Muslim community in the neighborhood.

[Alameda]

101. I do, I love goat in particular....less fat....more taste

Many do, I do. I hardly ever eat beef, but goat...ummmm. Goat is low in fat too.

[aquart]

102. I eat lamb. My sister doesn't.

She saw that stupid movie.

[MADem]

103. Ram Goat Liver

good fi' make mannish water, doncha know...

[HockeyMom]

104. Not a meat lover to begin with

Lamb is very gamey to me, but I don't really like beef or pork either. Goat? No, although I do prefer goat cheeses.

[northoftheborder]

106. Goat

We used to occasionally take a goat from our ranch to our local barbecue place where they slow cooked and smoked it in their large commercial pit. It was always delicious! We would have it for out-of-town guests who had never eaten it, and they loved it. Goat doesn't have much fat, and is tough & dry unless slow cooked.

[RZM]

107. I like lamb, but only every once in a while

They have goat at the Indian buffet I go to. I always have a little but I don't love it. It's just ok, IMO.

[Historic NY]

108. I'm big on lamb burgers with garlic & SP...

top with some mint sauce or mint jelly......

[Douglas Carpenter]

113. that reminds me of a Larson cartoon

That evening, with her blinds pulled,
Mary had three helpings of corn,
two baked potatoes, extra bread,
and a little lamb.


The Far Side

Artist: Gary Larson, September 10, 1987


http://phonographia.com/phonotoons%20gl.htm


I must admit the one taste I did acquire in all my years in the Middle East was a love for lamb.

[Go Vols]

114. Goat is good

[Speck Tater]

117. Because it's not in the local supermarket.

And because it isn't being pushed by constant TV advertising.

And because the price of meat in general is getting too high for a lot of people.

[geardaddy]

119. Interesting article

Goat: The World's Favorite Meat

http://simplegoodandtasty.com/2011/04/06/goat-the-worlds-favorite-meat

[Horse with no Name]

121. They don't have huge lobby groups or industries attached to them

relatively speaking, they are very inexpensive and boer goats (meat goats) are very lean and high in protein and much better for you than beef.

Personally I do not care for the taste of lamb--but that is just a preference.

[TeamPooka]

126. love lamb

[Lint Head]

127. I eat Greek food all the time love it!

[MineralMan]

128. This American does.

Lamb is a staple in my diet. Goat is somewhat rarer in my diet, but I eat it when it is available. Fortunately, my Muslim neighbors are kind enough to invite my wife and I to share in the goat they roast once a year. We appreciated it very much. I just don't find goat where I shop. I could, of course, stop by one of the Halal markets in St. Paul, but I seldom do.

[ieoeja]

132. Sheep are *not* more easily kept than cattle.

I have known a handful of people who tried to keep sheep, and none succeeded. They are extremely vulnerable to predators. And North America is still fairly wild country.

Goats, on the other hand, are easily kept. In fact, my brother kept goats with his cattle. Goats are easier to work. Cattle will adopt goats into the herd. Move a goat, the cattle will follow. The phrase "sacrificial goat" comes from their use in this manner to move cattle through the slaughter houses.

Also, I believe goats are pretty defensive when predators come around. We lost a lot of calves one year, so....


That said, while lamb is not a primary meat in this country, I would not classify it as uncommon.

[Art_from_Ark]

201. I think the term is actually "Judas goat"

for a goat that is used to lead lambs to slaughter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_goat

[ieoeja]

212. Thank you for the correction. Was thinking "sacrificial" did not sound right as the goat lives! n/t

[Scootaloo]

133. More or less what 4th law says

Beef is "prestige meat," a cultural holdover from Europe. Sheep and goats are "lesser" meats precisely because they're more economical than cattle. It's conspicuous consumption in the most literal sense possible.

Goat is further hindered by some other interesting perceptions... Due to early Christian zoology, the goat is regarded as an "unclean" animal of sorts... it's associated with the devil, and is a symbol of heresy or apostasy. Popular culture holds that goats "eat garbage" which of course, isn't actually true (what's a discarded head of lettuce between friends, anyway?) And of course, there's the race factor; goat is a popular meat in the southern world; Latin America and Africa - and Americans generally believe themselves to be "superior" to people in those regions. It's why wandering goats are often a visual cue for "third world" in film.

But in all honesty? Rodents are just as tasty, and even more economical. Squirrel is probably too big a hassle to effectively farm, but cavy is fucking tasty.

[Poll_Blind]

134. +1

Many good points.

PB

[Phlem]

167. Whats Cavy?

?

-p

[Scootaloo]

174. Well, the proper term for the meat is cuy...

[Phlem]

199. looked it up and

now I'm all hungry for it. Trust me when I get the chance, I'm all over it.

mmmmmmmmmmm

-p

[Bluenorthwest]

138. There is much more history in that question than you might guess...Sheep Wars...really...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_Wars

Goats are great for milk and cheese making are are rented out for clearing blackberry vines and other vegetative overgrowth around here. Goat milk and cheese available in every store I go to.
Lamb is available in every single market or butcher I go do. Hard to say we 'don't eat' that which is being eaten. People have preferences. Keeping sheep is hard on pasture lands, not always a great choice.

[MrScorpio]

139. Never had goat, but I love lamb

One time, while passing some grazing sheep in field in Germany, my wife noted that they were there and I told her that I only see two things in that field: A sweater and lunch.

Sheep, lunch that you can wear.

[Motown_Johnny]

141. I eat lamb, never had goat.

Most of America eats lamb. Some areas don't but those are the exception.


Goats have a reputation for being garbage eaters. I guess most of us don't want to eat something that eats mostly garbage.

[tabasco]

144. I ate a lot of mutton overseas in gyros.

I wish I could find a good gyro in the US (outside of an ethnic city neighborhood).

I had some goat when I visited the Egyptian army. They killed it and cooked it up with a salad. It was very good.

[MrSlayer]

147. Because they taste horrible.

I'll have a nice bloody filet mignon any day.

[eShirl]

148. I once had goat stew prepared by Jamaican farmworkers in North Yarmouth, Maine.

It was walking around on hooves when I arrived (end-of-summer farewell party before they went back to Jamaica), and a few hours later it was being delicious.

I thought it was interesting how the flavor of the Humpty Dumpty Bar-b-que Potato Chips that were also served seemed right in sync with all the Jamaican flavors of the meal.

[MADem]

203. Mannish water!!!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/keith-famies-adventures/mannish-water-recipe/index.html

Did you pop two belch and a mek a sigh after you finished your meal?



If you don't catch my drift, listen to the song I posted elsewhere in this thread...

[craigmatic]

149. Because they're cute and some would argue that eating lamb is cruel.

[sadbear]

151. I don't know about sheep, but goats have personality.

That would be like asking why we don't eat dogs or cats.

[Warren DeMontague]

153. In college, I lived up the road from a Gyro place.

I used to eat them all the time.

Then, one night, really drunk on very cheap beer, on my way home I bought maybe 4 of them.

Let's put it this way; it didn't end well. Ever since then, I haven't been able to eat Gyros.

[Flatpicker]

154. I enjoy both

It helps if you have a bit of greek in your family.
They know how to cook it really well.

Lamb by it's nature is a bit gamey, Americans like bland food. That's why beef doesn't taste as good as it should, or does if you know somebody who still raises cattle the old fashioned way.

[Blue_In_AK]

155. I've eaten both.

I'm not real crazy about lamb unless it's cooked India Indian-style, in which case, it's delicious. I need to have it highly spiced to cover the kind of gamey taste.

I've only eaten goat once, but it was really good. They barbecued a whole goat in a big pit.

[Ian David]

158. Lamb uses many times more water per pound than beef. n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

159. Methinks it's mostly a matter of our cultural backgrounds. . .

as to whether we Americans like these other meats.

I love lamb. . .but then, that's my Near-Eastern /Mediterranean heritage.

I've had Jamaican-style curry goat a couple of times, but I'm not crazy about the bones - I'd rather have the Jamaican-style beef oxtails. But I also enjoy goat's milk yogurt once in a while. (my mother's crazy for it)

[Ian David]

160. House of Mutton

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlgmsl_saturday-night-live-house-of-mutton_fun

[JoePhilly]

163. Had lamb the other night.

[LibertyLover]

164. Speaking just for me, I love lamb

and mutton. I've had goat - it's ok, but I prefer lamb. Both my parents were of Irish backgrounds and so lamb was served often when I was growing up. Unfortunately neither my husband or daughter like lamb, so I don't get it as often as I'd like any more - well that and the prices - but they will eat it in curry, so I do sometimes get my lamb jones satisfied. Mmmmmm good.

[Phlem]

166. Seems to be an acquired taste.

Growing up in my early youth in the Philippines, I was accustomed to eating what was there, so I've become adventurous in my dining. Which is actually really hard to do. I'm surrounded by the usual suspects and have been for a while, Italian, Greek, Mexican, Burgers, Indian, etc...

I remember an island party in my childhood (equivalent to a luau ) with a nice roasted pig, barrels of fresh limpets and abalone fresh island fruit and cocoa from the plants in my grandma's backyard. A time of wholesomeness with mother earth now gone in time.

Hard to find authentic Filipino food anywhere, or even anything out of the ordinary like game meat.

I know people who fear lamb, and don't even talk about goat, geez.

Live good!

-p

[Aerows]

172. I hear you

Cochon de Lait is a staple in Cajun festivals. I'm not so close to Southern Louisiana as I was, but thankfully I have a neighbor that remembers the traditions

[Phlem]

198. Your fortunate.

There is a lot to be said for tradition when it comes to cooking and family.

This looks like a good time.

http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/prof/recipes/cochon/cochon.html

Happy adventurous eating my friend!



-p

[Scootaloo]

177. I got plenty of authentic Filipino food when I was a teenager...

I lived in an Alaskan cannery town, with a very large seasonal filipino population. The neighbors would always insist on sharing.

I'm... still not sold on moose adobo, but, hey...

[Phlem]

197. HA HA HA!

I guess you can "adobo" just about anything!



-p

[2on2u]

169. Seems like somebody is always getting ours, (goat) geopolitically speaking. n't

[REP]

173. We have lamb about once a week

Goat isnt as available.

[undeterred]

182. Some of us don't eat lamb and goat for the same reason we don't eat beef.

We are vegetarians or vegans.

[cherokeeprogressive]

185. One word: Because it tastes terrible! n/t

[jmowreader]

188. They're cute.

Pigs are not cute, nor are cattle, so it's fine to eat those. Goats and lambs are cute, so it's not fine to eat them.

[Warpy]

190. Lamb goes through me like a wildcat backwards

I guess my body can't handle that kind of fat. It is not pleasant for me or anyone around me.

I've had curried goat at a hospital potluck. It was good.

[markpkessinger]

194. I do eat lamb . . .

One of my favorite ways of preparing it is to have chops cut approximately 2" thick, marinated overnight in a raspberry-garlic-rosemary vinaigrette, and grilled rare. Absolute HEAVEN!

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

196. We used to BBQ an entire Cabrito for big parties on July 4th

I was a kid at the time (no pun intended) and when our guests would ask what we were eating I would speak up and tell them it was dog.

I was little and didn't think much of it but apparently I sent several people to the bathroom.

[meaculpa2011]

209. Thanks for reminding me.

I'm gonna make goat vindaloo tonight.

[ibegurpard]

211. don't know about goat

but people eat lamb all the time. I don't like it.

[Le Taz Hot]

216. I just tried goat meat

for the first time and I LOVED it! It was weird because right after I first read this thread we happened to go to the farmers market and there was a female rancher there who raised goats for meat. We bought a little slab and my husband seared it then grilled it. It was delicious with FAR less fat that beef. Unfortunately, at $20.00 a pound it's a little pricey but I'd be willing to forgo a few beef meals to be able to afford the goat meat.

[Nitram]

217. I eat regularly lamb, and have eaten goat more than once. It's delicious.

I've read that there is a prejudice against "mutton" (as people who don't like lamb call it) in the US because of the range wars where the cattlemen wanted an open range and the sheepherders fenced it off. It was associated with poverty.