only that, but the vast majority of Americans don’t eat a
single bite of lamb all year. Most of this per capita
consumption comes from minority communities—Greek,
Muslim, Indian—who eat a ton of it, bringing up the overall
average.
Even more distressing is the fact that lamb is what
economists call an “inferior good,” which means that its
demand is inversely proportional to average consumer
income: when people have money to spend, they’d rather
spend it on beef and chicken breasts. A 2001 study from
Kennesaw State University in Georgia found that for every 1
percent increase in consumer income, there was a
corresponding 0.54 percent decrease in lamb consumption.
It’s an odd dichotomy, because while in many communities,
lamb is seen as the “cheap” meat—the meat to buy when
you can’t afford beef—in high-end food and fancy
supermarket circles, it’s often far more expensive, and
desirable, than beef.
I’m with the latter camp. I can think of precious few
situations when I’d rather have a steak than a fatty, musky
lamb chop. Or when I’d rather have a pot roast than a rich,
slightly funky braised lamb shank. And when it comes to
holiday roasts, prime rib may be the king of the table, but
roasted leg of lamb is his wilder, more fun cousin.
Lamb marketers who have long known of the trouble with
selling their product to consumers reluctant to leave the
safety of their beloved chicken and beef, have responded by
carefully breeding and raising lamb that is more suitable for
the American palate, as well as selling it in forms that are
increasingly easier to cook. Indeed, if you haven’t attempted
nandana
(Nandana)
#1