One of the most popular Easter symbols is the lamb, which is featured in the book of Genesis as a substitute sacrifice for Abraham’s son (Genesis 22).
Sheep show up again and again in the Bible.
Jews were commanded to eat lamb for Passover (Exodus 12) and Jesus was crucified immediately after eating a Passover meal with his disciples.
When Jesus is referred to as "the Lamb" in the New Testament, it is without a doubt a reference to the Abraham substitute-sacrifice story.
So are Christian nations big consumers of lamb or mutton?
In comparison to some non-Christian countries, they are not.
The number one consumer of lamb or mutton is Mongolia. The UK is not in the top ten, and the US is so far down the list, it’s on another page.
Sheep and lamb consumption in the UK is in modest decline, while chicken consumption has soared, and beef is slowly growing. In the US, most folks can go a decade without eating a lamb chop.
What about wool?
Most sheep wool is from meat sheep, and is so worthless it’s thrown out, burned, or used as insulation. Wool is, for the most part, a waste product of the sheep meat industry.
2 comments:
Before moving out of state, I lived near a butcher that specialized in goat and lamb, especially for the local immigrant where specific slaughter practices were necessary. It was some of the best meat ever at a decent price and I miss it. The lamb was never strong like a lot of store-bought mutton and the goat was delicious: I'd describe it as beefy with a hint of mutton flavor. While I live in a state that has a very high population of immigrants that enjoy savory meals from those animals, my smaller city does not have a butcher or retailer for those types of meats and it's hard to find outside of driving to the nearest major metropolitan area over an hour away.
I grew up on boneless skinless chicken breast meat (thank you AHA and my parents for buying into those terrible recommendations hook-line-sinker!) and hate it with a passion. Much prefer thigh meat anymore when cooking chicken. Fat is a nutrient to be celebrated in moderation with a healthy lifestyle in this modern sedentary world and best of all, FLAVOR!
The reason for the high amounts of chicken is the feed to meat conversion. Then pork, beef and lamb. There is a higher return for raising chicken than other meat, I know as we raised our own for years. Also easier for the homesteader to slaughter.
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