Meat
Lamb
Lamb is the meat of young sheep, prized for its delicate flavour, tender texture, and suitability across roasting, grilling, braising, and slow cooking. Grass-fed hill lamb, milk-fed spring lamb, and grain-finished commercial lamb each offer distinct eating qualities that reward careful cut selection. From Moroccan tagines and Indian rogan josh to British roast lamb and Greek souvlaki, lamb remains central to Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and pastoral cuisines. Breed, age, and pasture strongly influence fat cover, colour, and the character of premium cuts such as rack and leg.
Explore further
Breeds, cuts & preparations
Variety
Source
Provenance
Preparation
CommonCharacteristic
Grading systems
Australia β AUS-MEAT
A · B · C
New Zealand β NZMP
Manufacturing · Prime · Standard
United Kingdom β EBLEX
E3L · O3L · P3L · R3L
History
Sheep were among the earliest domesticated livestock in the Fertile Crescent, providing meat, milk, wool, and hides to early agricultural societies.
Monastic and manorial farming systems refined sheep husbandry across Britain and northwestern Europe.
Pastoral expansion established Australia and New Zealand as major exporters of grass-fed lamb to global markets.
Refrigerated shipping and chiller grading systems enabled year-round international trade in premium fresh lamb.