Lamb is an exciting but rare ingredient today, but it is a real delicacy and no more expensive than the meat we are used to. What's more, it's incredibly healthy and not impossible to get hold of.
Lamb is still a foreign ingredient for many people, even though in the past it was roasted, boiled and marinated in Hungarian kitchens according to countless recipes. There are a number of misconceptions and misunderstandings about sheep, lamb, and beef, which we should clear up and then try once or twice the dish that is most delicious to us.
Do you know the difference between a sheep and a lamb?
Sheep include all types from lamb to mutton, but there is a big difference in the meat. There is often confusion about the types of animal, but they are called different names from birth to lamb, depending on their age: lamb - up to growing age, gilts - growing animal, rams - male sheep, sheep - adult female, wethers - castrated animal.
The youngest of the lot, the lamb, has the most tender and tender flesh, which means that it weighs 5-8 kilos. A 15 - 20 kilo rack is also brilliant, but above 30 kilos you're better off preparing a mutton stew. Some people particularly like the stronger flavour, but it also happens that many people are not familiar with lamb meat and still refuse to try it. Let's take a look at what this ingredient is really like and who should get to know it.
The real taste of lamb
It smells a bit sweet, distinctive and reminiscent of milk, but in no way distracting, and in fact it is the best possible combination and complement. It is heavenly with spices, sweet fruits, and as a side dish with grilled vegetables, purees and pasta. The flesh is lightly infused with fat, making it crumbly yet tender meat, which falls apart in the mouth after an hour and a half of baking. It is very seasonable, as each variation is a new dish, with better and better recipes from all over the world.
The Hungarian kitchen has a rich recipe library
Examples include lamb chops Villeroy style. A Caucasian saslik, coriander roast lamb with steamed vegetables, but there are even older versions from the last century. Mariska Vízvári's cookbook serves as a bible for me, here the lamb is prepared with Frascati sauce. A leg of lamb with bacon, pieces of liver and hard-boiled egg, then fry in hot butter and 2 dl wine with tarragon until crumbly. Of course, this is followed by the recipe for stuffed lamb in the book, stuffed earlier with lamb offal, lots of boiled eggs, soaked buns, mushrooms and fresh herbs. And this is just a small taste of the many lamb recipes.
Lamb has inspired short stories, such as Roahl Dahl's The Butcher's Tale of the Roast Lamb or Jane Austin's correspondence, in which she writes about the prevalence of the ”roast lamb and rhubarb" theme. It has been undeservedly neglected in recent times, even though it is a very succulent, tender, healthy and wine-worthy dish. So, let's start eating and tasting them one by one!
