What happens to the sheep carcass?

February 14, 2005 1:13 PM

My wife and I were at IKEA last week and noticed a big batch of sheep skins for sale, rather cheaply. I know these are popular for some as car seats and the like, but we got to wondering, what happens to the slaughtered sheep from which they are taken? Do people still eat mutton at all? Whether or not one is a vegetarian, at least leather and similar hides presumably come from cows that are also slaughtered for their meat. But what happens to the meat of sheeps?
posted by jgballard to pets & animals (16 comments total)

Much of what is called 'lamb' in restaurants is actually mutton (mature sheep). Lamb is popular in Indian and Italian cuisine here in the US; that's where a lot of sheep go.
posted by Miko at 1:25 PM on February 14, 2005

and greek. don't forget gyros!
posted by u.n. owen at 1:31 PM on February 14, 2005

Mutton, lamb. (lamb is sheep under 1 year; mutton is older.)

Lamb is a part of most Mediterranean diets, and not unknown in the British Isles.

There's been a fairly decent increase in the amount of lamb/mutton in pet foods as well.
posted by jlkr at 1:34 PM on February 14, 2005

Also are you sure those were sheep skins and not artificial fibers made to look like sheep skins? It is IKEA after all.
posted by Divine_Wino at 1:34 PM on February 14, 2005

Lamb is extremely popular with the more expensive dog foods (lamb and rice). It's the first meat you give a baby (super gentle) and Costco sells rack of lamb in huge quantities.

And Divine_Wino, those are real sheep skins. They're just small, irregular and not of a good consistency. (But they're great for dog beds)
posted by Gucky at 1:41 PM on February 14, 2005

They are real and are so cheap I've been contemplating buying a bunch and sewing together a rug/bedspread.
posted by Mitheral at 3:54 PM on February 14, 2005

Rens!
posted by Caviar at 3:56 PM on February 14, 2005

Mmm, lamb chops /Homer drool
posted by billsaysthis at 5:25 PM on February 14, 2005

They eat a lot of lamb here in Canada (BC, anyway). First time I tried it was here (grew up in the States, mum didn't like it so she never cooked it). It's okay, but I wouldn't make a habit of it.
posted by deborah at 5:53 PM on February 14, 2005

Here in South Africa, I see a lot of lamb and mutton. I tried some mutton stew from the deli counter the other day, it was tasty, but I love lamb anyway.

Mutton is usually cheaper than lamb, and not considered that palatable, due to stronger taste. I can't say as I've only had that stew, and it tasted more like the vegies than the meat (many lamb dishes are cooked that way too, much to my dismay, since I love lamb).

Sheep are raised mostly for wool, but they do age and die. Normal life span is around 10 years, but a friend who kept sheep had her's live around 17 years (she cared for them very well, and has published articles about it). Once they die, you get a skin.
posted by Goofyy at 10:45 PM on February 14, 2005

Good grief, at times like this I am reminded of the cultural gap between me and the average American.

Lamb is definitely still eaten in the US, mutton somewhat less so. Most of your "sheepskins" are lambskins, probably from animals in the 1-2 year range (what we call hoggett). In fact we in New Zealand export lamb to the US, and we'd sell even more if weren't for your stupid quotas and subsidies. I don't think we send sheepskins, although I've heard some favourable comments from Americans about our local product that makes me wonder if it's a market worth developing.

When I worked for the Meat Research Institute of New Zealand it was explained to me that lamb is relatively unpopular in North America partly owing to the sheer prestige of beef, but also because of the custom of drinking very cold drinks with meals. Sheepfat solidifies at a low temperature, and ice water with your lamb will give you an unpleasant sensation in your throat.

Meat from sheep raised for wool does indeed usually end up as petfood - there just isn't much of a market for tough, rank mutton.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:58 PM on February 14, 2005

I'm an American living in Australia (and who spent a couple years in London before that), and without question LAMB has been one of the best food discoveries of my travels. I'd never eaten it before in my life before I went overseas. In Indiana, it seemed kind of high-falutin, like it could come with the little paper decorations on the chops and you'd have it with tea and stick your little finger in the air. My first lamb chops in London (prepared by my Aussie hubbie) were a revelation. Lamb is so, so good. We have it in curries, sausages, moussaka, plain ol' chops thrown on the barbecue... Most Yanks don't know what they're missing.
posted by web-goddess at 12:34 AM on February 15, 2005

Just a cultural note, In Danish the expression "Meat and potato" is "Lamb and potato", while Ikea is Swedish we eat a lot of lamb around these parts too. :)
posted by dabitch at 2:50 AM on February 15, 2005

Whether or not one is a vegetarian, at least leather and similar hides presumably come from cows that are also slaughtered for their meat.

Not always. One should not assume that the animal-hide industry is simply a by-product of the meat industry.

Kangaroos are slaughtered by the millions every year, their skins considered to be prime material for soccer shoes. Although the Australian government requires hunters to shoot the animals, orphaned joeys and wounded adults are, according to government code, to be decapitated or hit sharply on the head “to destroy the brain.” Snakes and lizards may be skinned alive because of the belief that live flaying imparts suppleness to the finished leather. Kid goats may be boiled alive to make kid gloves, and the skins of unborn calves and lambs—some purposely aborted, others from slaughtered pregnant cows and ewes—are considered especially “luxurious.”*

posted by Shane at 7:18 AM on February 15, 2005

Mutton/lamb has always been an occasional treat for this Californian.

Sheepfat solidifies at a low temperature, and ice water with your lamb will give you an unpleasant sensation in your throat.

So that's what that is. Huh. Thanks.
posted by catachresoid at 8:24 AM on February 15, 2005

Yum! I'm on year five of a lamb-mutton-goat bender that means I order it and eat it whenever I encounter it.

It was explained to me that lamb is relatively unpopular in North America partly owing to the sheer prestige of beef, but also because of the custom of drinking very cold drinks with meals.

There may be a cultural contributor as well (or this may be related to the "prestige of beef"): sheep have a tendency to eat grass to the roots which makes it difficult to graze cattle on the same land. This was a problem in the days of the open range and battles were fought over it. Cattlemen, apparently, prevailed.
posted by Mo Nickels at 10:14 AM on February 15, 2005