Difference Between Lamb And Goat

[Parineeta]

Hi guys, I am Parineeta from the USA and have been living in India for about eight months now. I have a question in mind which I thought would be better to be asked on the forum as there are people from around the world here.

I am confused about when it comes to eating mutton here in India. The taste is very similar to what I have eaten in the USA, but there it is more soft and tender, and when eaten here is is chewy and has a dry texture.
In the USA we have lamb, and I am only assuming that mutton is called lamb. Am I wrong?

Please give me some clarifications on this.

 

[Destiny]

Yes, I've always known mutton to be lamb. It could be the difference in the way the food is prepared and cooked in the two regions. I've noticed a lot of food tastes strikingly different in various countries even though it's the same thing. It could also be the way the animal was raised and what it was fed, or maybe even climate.

I've noticed animals taste different in different parts of the world.

 

[jnorth88]

The animals in the US are pretty pampered, and do not get the same amount of activity. In India, where a lot of meat comes from small farms, they will be more active, and might be older animals. This meat will be tougher. It might also be a different cut of meat. There are tough parts to every animal, and the more prized and softer parts are generally sold to the rich or used for export.

 

[pwarbi]

Well first thing, mutton is the term for the meat of a sheep that's been slaughtered later on in life, so does tend to be a lot tougher than lamb. Lamb is a sheep under one years old (I think).

In India though (and only in India?) Mutton is also a term for goats meat, so if you're unsure it might be worth asking, but they pretty much taste the same in my opinion.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Same animals can taste different because of the food they eat, the climate, and even the water. Heck, even animal sizes differ. Chickens in Asia are usually smaller compared to the chickens in America. It's all got to do with the quality of food their owners feed them, also the pollution around the area where they grew up. It's all well and good though, as the cooking of the meat is probably the biggest factor why their tastes are so different.

 

[ellajanelle]

I agree with OursIsTheFury. The difference could be attributed to the way the animals are raised. I think the kind of lamb you are referring to is the native one, much like the chickens that are grown in different areas. I noticed that the native chickens, or the ones raised in small farms, are smaller and have larger bones and fewer meat. Their meat is also tougher and more chewy.
If not, it could also be based on how the lamb was cooked.

 

[jnorth88]

The chickens I have raised on insects free in the yard taste better than anything I have ever bought at a store. The healthy living, good food all go a long way to making a great chicken. It is the same for all animals.

 

[djordjem87]

Mutton is not the same as lamb. You have lamb, mutton and hogget. At least I was taught like that. All of these are sheep in different periods of their life so it may be the same animal but lamb and the other two basically stand for meat more than for animal. Lamb is young meet in the first year. Have no idea though how you managed to mix Lamb and Goat in the title.
Just remember in cuisine lamb is type if sheep meat.

 

[pwarbi]

Because in Asian countries mutton can mean goat and not sheep. If you see a dish saying it's got mutton in it, 9/10 it will be goat meat so it's always worth double checking.

I'm assuming that's what the OP meant when asking about the difference between the two.

 

[jnorth88]

Although it is common that they serve them interchangeably, it is more of a North South thing. Out in Southeast Asia, it will be goat most of the time, as that is what they have. But to the North and west, you will get sheep, since they grow them for wool. Think of it as the difference between hot and humid climates to cold climates. Sheep do not live well where it is hot and damp. That would pretty much be torture to them.

 

[Elaine Lat]

Goat meat is a delicacy here in the Philippines. I've never had it though and isn't lamb supposed to belong to the same family as the goat? Would that mean that they have the same taste of meat? Anyway, we have spicy 'caldereta' dish that we usually cook goat meat for. I've looked up Indian dishes associated with mutton and the variety is just great. Mutton is usually cooked with sauces and spices and that is actually a bit similar to the usual food we have here.

 

[lisasian86]

Mutton is the name of meat from an older sheep so no it's not the same as lamb, it's the same animal but not a young animal. As someone has mentioned above though I think in India mutton might mean goat. I've never had goat myself but I'd love to try it in an Indian curry, I'd like to try Jamaican goat curry too, that's supposed to be lovely.