What's The Difference Between Lamb, Mutton, And Goat Meat?
Kambing, kambing, and kambing.
By Tamara Jayne - 08 Jan 2024, 09:51 AM
Cover image via If lamb and mutton both come from sheep, why do we call it mutton curry when it's made with goat meat?
Image via GIPHY
It can all be pretty confusing, but fret not, we'll break it down for you.
Yes, both lamb and mutton come from sheep
Lamb refers to the meat from young sheep that are typically less than a year old. The flavour of lamb is milder, the meat is generally lighter in colour, and it is more tender.
Mutton, on the other hand, comes from older sheep, usually over a year old. The meat is richer in flavour, darker in colour, but the texture can be coarser compared to lamb.
Image via Valeria Boltneva/Pexels
However, in many parts of the world, including India and some Asian countries, mutton also refers to goat meat.
Hence, mutton curry, which is made with goat meat.
In India and certain other countries, goat meat is more popular than lamb, so the term 'mutton' often refers to goat meat.
In contrast, in the rest of the world, goat meat is either called chevon or simply referred to as goat meat.
The term 'chevon' is derived from the French word 'chevre', which means goat.
In Bahasa Melayu, kambing refers to goat meat, while lamb is referred to as daging biri-biri.
However, it's worth noting that lamb is sometimes called daging kambing muda, which directly translates to meat from a young goat.
In some contexts, the term kambing might be used more broadly for both goat and lamb, so additional clarification may be required based on the specific meat desired.
Hope this clears things up!
Image via Prabal Pratap Singh/Pexels
