#Robust

[petermorwood]

Is "Uh, nope" a frequent US response to lamb?

Or is US lamb somehow different?

This is just a vaguely mystified response to some comments here.

I'm guessing the "G-word" is gamey. I've smelt gamey meat, I don't like it, and Irish lamb definitely isn't that. Also, most people I know don't need to screw up their courage before cooking or eating it.

Mutton, mature sheep-meat, has - or so I've been told, because I've never found it in any local butcher - a much fuller flavour, still not gamey, but more ... robust, pronounced, emphatic, choose your descriptor. It is, after all, a more mature meat.

For terminology reference (though this may not be current any more), "lamb" is up to one year old, "hogget" - remember the farmer's name in "Babe"? - is up to two years old, and "mutton" is over two years.

*****

As I said, I haven't seen mutton anywhere, and haven't HEARD of hogget.

This might be, as I hinted, because terminology has been simplified and all meat from sheep is now "lamb" - and that may answer my own question. Sometimes US lamb has a fuller flavour than, say, Wicklow lamb in Ireland, because sometimes US lamb is hogget or mutton instead.

If so, it restores a possible original meaning to "mutton dressed as lamb". That's now best known as "an older woman dressed inappropriately young", and though the meaning has been around for a long time (this Rowlandson print is dated 1810)...

..."dressing" is also the term for preparing meat for sale.

And THAT makes me wonder if the critical phrase goes beyond fashion into the fine old tradition of adulterating food, and wily butchers transforming elderly sheep into the semblance of younger lamb then charging undiscerning customers accordingly.

I don't know how they might have done it, but if they could then they would. The ways in which 18th-19th century foods were fiddled with is amazing, and more than a bit Yuck.

Or in this case, Ew.

Comments, corrections, criticisms and all the rest are cordially invited.

:->

*****

Side-note; in keeping with the way nicknames get attached to surnames - "Chalky" White, "Dusty" Miller etc. - anyone called Curry usually ended up as "Mutton".

Two brothers at my school had this happen; Tom Curry, the older one, had been "Mutton" for a couple of years, and when his kid brother Will started school he became, of course, "Lamb".

Oh, how we laffed...

*****

ETA: @bellyoftheblast just messaged me this:

It turns out, and I only learned this very recently (I think it's in Hannah Glasse) that "dressed" used to mean "cooked" rather than "prepared for sale". Which would mean "mutton dressed as lamb" would be fast-cooked and thus greasy, unpleasantly tough and decidedly stringy. (Meanwhile I'll never waste good lamb on stew again now that I have a source for mutton -- MUCH better flavour for slow cooking).

Thanks for this snippet! We've got the Prospect Books facsimile of Hannah Glasse 1st ed, so I pulled it down, blew off the dust - it's been a while - and yes indeed, I found the following recipes in just four successive pages:

"To dreſs a Leg of Mutton à la Royale",

"To dreſs a Leg of Mutton to eat like Veniſon",

"To dreſs Mutton the Turkiſh Way"

"To dreſs Veal à la Bourgoiſe"

Mutton dressed (or dreſsed) as Lamb doesn't get mentioned, probably because Mistress Glasse knew better, though that business of Mutton to eat (taste) like Venison is interesting.

It involves cutting the leg of mutton "in the shape of a Haunch of Veniſon" then steeping it in the sheep's blood "for five or six Hours" before wrapping it in layers of buttered paper and roasting it, basted frequently with butter or beef dripping.

Not quite mutton as lamb, but still mutton disguised as something more expensive...

[zoidsfan77]

Basic zedconian diagnostic equipment. Connects to their common interface port under their snout. Used for troubleshooting and repair.

[newblvotg]

...

[miyrumiyru]

My first thought after saw this fly : a most thickest and brutal looking hornet I've ever seen

Almost big as Asian giant hornet. The definition of robust!

Birch Sawfly (Cimbex femoratus)

[camo-wolf]

My Damian team concept !!!!

I’m calling it the legacy league!!!

(Click for clearer images)

[velovelo]

[buffetlicious]

Astons Specialities had this Farmers Beef Stew (S$14.80) on the menu so I decide to give it a try. Came with mashed potato and a side dish which I opted for a house salad. The beef was fork tender and the gravy robust which goes well with the creamy mashed potato. And oh, mum wasn’t hungry so she just watches me eat. :D

[falseandrealultravival]

Today's Haiku with Picture 973

Globe amaranth

Is this purple color

Robust enough?

千日紅

この紫は

堅牢か

(2023.08.23)

[glenrothman]

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[neel-initiative]

Harnessing technology: The future of precision agriculture

By Vyankatesh Sharma, CEO and Founder, NEEL-INITIATIVE

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The Agricultural Revolution

The agriculture industry is at the crossroads of change, with global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and a rapidly growing population demanding innovative solutions. By 2050, the world will need to produce 70% more food to sustain nearly 10 billion people. Traditional farming techniques cannot meet this demand alone.

This is where precision agriculture comes in—a game-changing approach that uses technology to maximize efficiency, enhance crop yields, and promote sustainable farming practices. Precision agriculture not only optimizes farming inputs but also ensures that resources like water, fertilizers, and pesticides are used judiciously.

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The Future of Agriculture

The future of agriculture lies in embracing technology and innovation. Precision agriculture is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity. By integrating AI, IoT, and big data analytics into farming, we can address the challenges of feeding a growing population while preserving the planet’s resources.

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Join the Revolution

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Vyankatesh Sharma CEO and Founder, NEEL-INITIATIVE

[eurisko-bohemia]

And that's a rock fact

[inkztripes]

' everything is hopeless, but atlesst i have you '

or whatever

[soniabigcheese]

Robust is currently on hold right now until I get out of my funk and fatigue.

I suspect I'm constantly tired because I'm stressed out. And vice versa. It's a continuous circle

But, I will get on it.

Any more suggestions/ideas for the Robust range, are welcome

[zoidsfan77]

Just some non-canon vent art. Horrible nightmare creature who has probably come to tow your car.

[soniabigcheese]

Can't sleep, trying to work on Robust but stupid computer is running slower than molasses in Winter. I find mobile phone screens too tiny for reference pics and my Kindle is too touch sensitive

But I think I have the pic I need.

Just need to figure out the colour of the actual product tube. Maybe several shades of blue with silver? And perhaps a teeny tiny TI Tracy Industries logo/trademark?

Any suggestions would be very helpful indeed