Lamb: the benefits and harm

Lamb: the benefits and harm

In many countries, the meat of young lambs is considered a real delicacy. It is also the main component of a number of popular Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. In our latitudes, it is eaten extremely rarely, and many people do not eat it at all. At least because in our stores to buy meat of lambs is extremely difficult. They should be fed exclusively with mother's milk, and the age at the time of slaughter should not exceed 60 days. Sometimes we sell lamb from New Zealand, one of its largest producers.

It remains to be regretted that we rarely deal with this type of meat for various reasons. After all, lamb has a unique taste, as well as valuable nutritional properties and definitely deserves to be introduced at least periodically into the diet.

Acids for our health

One of the benefits of lamb is high nutritional value. It provides a large amount of high-grade protein and valuable minerals, especially potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc. It is also a rich source of B vitamins, especially B1. It is no coincidence that it is called vitamin of joy, because choline helps the nervous system, is responsible for mood, improves well-being and increases resistance to stress.

Lamb is a supplier of natural L-carnitine - a substance that stimulates the combustion of fat.

The advantage of meat is the high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Linoleic acid is particularly useful, which has a positive effect on reducing the level of “bad” cholesterol - an important factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases. It is also an antioxidant substance that effectively neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals. It also regulates glucose metabolism, which will be appreciated by people struggling with diabetes. Lamb is also rich in orotic acid, which is a barrier to the reproduction of cancer cells. It also has a protective and detoxifying effect, in particular, prevents liver problems and supports the body in getting rid of harmful substances.

How to cook lamb

In terms of nutritional value, lamb surpasses our favorite pork. And what about her taste? Opinions vary, but lamb can be a very interesting addition to the national cuisine. True, this requires some training. Such meat sometimes has a very intense flavor that can be softened by carefully cleaning it of films and marinating several hours (some cooks recommend extending this period to two days) in milk, serum, kefir, natural yogurt, vinegar or red wine. Due to this, the meat, which during heat treatment is prone to hardening and drying, will remain soft and juicy.

Lamb loves strong fragrant spices, goes well with garlic, thyme, rosemary, ginger, turmeric and chili. A very tasty addition to it are citrus fruits. A very simple and tasty dish - slices of meat, which are marinated in orange juice with the addition of thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper before frying. In the south of Europe, fresh fruit, such as quince, is often added to mutton dishes.

Meat can be used to make an oriental delicacy called “rogan josh”. Mutton should be mixed with grated ginger, Roman cumin (zira, cumin), chili, paprika and coriander and leave for 2-3 hours in a cool place. The ghee is then fried onion, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. Add to the meat and fry all together under the lid, and then pour water and stew. Before serving, the flavor is emphasized with natural yoghurt. Another interesting culinary idea is plov, a dish of rice fried in olive oil or boiled lamb, vegetables (onions, carrots, peas) and a lot of hot spices. Ways of cooking this set of dishes. Some of them first involve roasting rice, and then adding the rest of the ingredients to it. In other recipes, it is suggested to put rice in roasted meat and simmer together in a broth until the amount of liquid decreases. In any case, the young lamb, with skillful cooking, will be deliciously tasty.

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