Lamb is the meat from young sheep. It should be distinguished from mutton, which is from adult animals. The two categories together are referred to as sheep meat.
Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, Ovis aries. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton.
Mutton is the meat of a mature adult sheep, typically between two and three years old. Producers can harvest mutton from a ewe (female) or wether (castrated male).
Lamb meat is simply meat from young sheep under one year of age. Mutton is the meat of mature sheep, harvested between 2 to 3 years of age to produce mutton cuts. To go a bit deeper, there are two Lamb sub-categories based on the specific age of lamb at harvest: Baby Lamb – Refers to lamb meat aged 6 to 10 weeks old.
Hogget is the word used to describe a lamb in its second spring or summer – so aged between one and two years. While still tender, a hogget's extra time on pasture allows it to develop a flavour that is richer and fuller than lamb's but not as pronounced as older mutton's.
Yearling Lamb (Hogget) is up to a year older than lamb but still not fully grown or matured. As it is given a lot more time to range freely while grazing on grass and clover, it grows around 50% bigger and its meat develops a fuller, more complex and delicious flavour.
Hogget' refers to animals between 1-2 years old, and is a delicious combination of tender lamb and full-flavoured mutton. Hogget can be cooked hot and quick like lamb, or low and slow – anywhere in between and it might toughen up. It is a very versatile meat and has a nice fat to meat ratio.
Mutton. Lamb refers to meat from young sheep less than 12 months old, which is tender and mild in flavor. The meat from a sheep older than one year is called mutton, and it has a more intense flavor and somewhat less tender texture.
Lamb vs sheep
Lamb is the name given to the meat from a young sheep, and is also the name given to the animals themselves, up until one year of age. After this, lambs are referred to as hoggets, but the meat will sometimes still be sold as “lamb”.
In South Asian or Caribbean cuisine, mutton refers to the meat of goats. In India however, we often refer to both sheep and goat meat as mutton.
When you stop and think about it, it's actually quite strange that pig meat is called “pork,” cow meat is called “beef,” sheep meat is called “mutton,” and deer meat is called “venison.” What's even stranger is that chicken meat is still called “chicken,” and fish is “fish.” So what gives?
Horse meat is sometimes called equine, cheval, or Caballo. Horse meat is known for being lean, high-protein meat that has been eaten throughout history.
"It is close to impossible to even find mutton in the U.S.," says Ken Albala, professor of history at California's University of the Pacific. "It costs more to raise sheep for longer periods of time, and the decline in wool production in the U.S. is directly related to the decline in mutton as a culinary delicacy."
Mutton - sheep meat from a male (typically a castrated male) or female sheep over 2 years of age.
The Texel is predominantly a meat breed. The major Australasian Sheep breeds are the Perendale, Poll Dorset, Coopworth, Corriedale, Polworth, and South Suffolk. The Corriedale and Polworth developed as dual-purpose Sheep and have good wool producing and meat characteristics in addition to good reproductive performance.
Mutton refers to the flesh of the mature ram or ewe at least one year old; the meat of sheep between 12 and 20 months old may be called yearling mutton.
The majority of sheep killed in Australia are lambs, slaughtered around 6 – 8 months of age. Sheep can naturally live up to 20 years, with a typical lifespan of 10-12 years. Every year an average of 22.72 million lambs are slaughtered.
High prices are being driven by strong international demand from China and North America, combined with low flock numbers. A trade lamb currently costs nine per cent of the average weekly wage — its highest point since the early 1980s.
So what is 'lamb' meat? Lamb meat is simply meat harvested before a year of age. Our wethers (ram lambs that have been castrated) are mature at 8-12 months. This season they were harvested at 10 months of age if they were singles, and 12 months of age if they were twins.
Mongolia, Turkmenistan, New Zealand, Iceland and Greece are the countries where the biggest eaters of sheep and goats live. An average Mongolian eats nearly 50 kg of sheep and goat meat a year, according to Faostat. Central Europeans are on the other end of the scale hardly eating more than 0.5 kg a year per capita.
HOGGET (11 months to 24 months old)
Simply put, hogget is a juvenile sheep either a young ewe or tup over 11 months old to 24 months. Hogget is the new find for discerning chefs and diners.
Veal is the meat from a calf or young beef animal. A veal calf is raised until about 16 to 18 weeks of age, weighing up to 450 pounds. Male dairy calves are used in the veal industry.
Hogget – A hogget is a young sheep that has no more than two permanent incisors, hence the expression '2 tooth' which is often used interchangeably with 'hogget'. These permanent incisors often appear from 13 months-2 years of age. The average weight of a full hogget is approximately 28-32kg.
Slaughter. Most lambs/sheep are slaughtered at 10 weeks to 6 months, though some may be 14 months old. Find out about some of the key welfare issues for sheep.
Typically, sheep give birth about two times a year during the lambing season, but the number of lambs birthed can be multiple. A sheep can birth about 2 - 6 lambs a year. Of course, there are some breeds of sheep that carry for lambs at a time than other breeds.