The word lamb comes from the old German - 'lambiz'. As early as 10,000 years ago in Central Asia, man discovered that the sheep was a good source of not only food, but clothing. Sheep (Ovis aries) have long been used as food as well as a textile source in Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In the Middle Ages, farmers learned that sheep was the most productive crop, providing meat, wool for clothing, skins for parchment, and milk for butter and cheese.
The first sheep were brought to North America by Spanish soldiers under the command of Cortez in 1519. The introduction of sheep into the commercial cattle herds of the western territories in the 1800s caused much bloodshed and social division.
In the early 1900s, the federal government actually sanctioned genocide of certain varieties of sheep in a purported attempt to upgrade the quality of certain breeds. The Cotswold, one of the oldest breeds, was introduced to England over 2000 years ago by the Romans. Brought to the United States in 1832, the Cotswold was also the first purebred breed to be registered in the United States in 1878. This breed is now currently classified as a rare breed and is prized for its wool.

Lamb also has religious connotations. Lambs were ritually used as sacrifices in many different religions to all varieties of gods, and is still a favourite menu item at Easter.

What is the difference between Lamb or Mutton?

Lamb is a sheep less than a year old, typically slaughtered between the ages of four and twelve months. Older sheep is called mutton and has a much stronger flavor and tougher meat that many find distasteful. Mutton was a cheap food source for the military, and it was often overcooked and dry.

What to do if you are into Lamb. Some facts to consider!

Color is a good indicator of age. The lighter the color, the younger the meat. Baby lamb should be pale pink. Regular lamb is pinkish-red. Ground lamb and small lamb cuts should be wrapped and could be refrigerated up to three days. Larger roasts can be refrigerated up to five days before using.
Ground lamb can be tightly wrapped and frozen up to three months, while larger roasts and solid pieces can be frozen up to six months.
Frozen lamb should be thawed in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Cooked lamb can be refrigerated up to three days or frozen up to three months.
One 6-pound leg of lamb will serve between 6 and 8 people.

Source: Big Lamb Eaters :-) and a selection of history books

Interested in Home Canning? (KitchenTips)

Posted 24 September, 2001 by PAF-News

Why can at home?
All foods in their natural state contain microorganisms, such as molds, yeasts and bacteria as well as enzymes. Food spoils when enzyme, mold, yeast and bacteria growth is not controlled. Proper, safe home canning procedures control the growth of spoilage microorganisms, allowing us to keep food beyond its normal storage period.

Home canning is not complicated, and for people in Bulgaria where I come from, it is one of the autumn tasks. If you grow your own vegetables, fruits etc, but have not got a freezer or enough space to store frozen vegetables, or simply hate buying cans from the supermarket, your only other choice is to can what you can. May mum's favourite is roasted peppers, which will keep up to 1 year. When you need them, they are there ready - roasted and already peeled. If you wish to obtain a recipe for that, please let me know by clicking here.
You can of course can many different foods, including cooked meals. It is a simple procedure of applying heat to food in a closed jar in order to interrupt the natural decaying that would otherwise take place. It requires “processing” or “heat processing” foods according to up-to-date, tested home canning guidelines.

After processing and upon cooling, a vacuum is formed and the lid seals onto the jar. This ensures that home canned foods will be free of spoilage when the jars are stored properly and remain vacuum-sealed. This seal prevents other microorganisms from entering and recontaminating the food. If the seal is intact, the cap of the jar should not pop when pressed. So, after you are finished it is a good idea to check all the jars and make sure they are sealed, the ones which are not, you are best eating quick.

For more info on home canning, you can visit HomeCanning.com

How are calories calculated (Diets)

Posted 17 September, 2001 by PAF-News

Energy has traditionally been expressed as calories or kilocalories. More recently, the units of energy have been changed to kilojoules. There are 4.2 kilojoules in 1 kilocalorie. Someone having 2000 kilocalories each day would be having 8400 kilojoules, also known as 8.4 megajoules.

The energy value of a food indicates its value to the body as a fuel.
After a food is ingested, some of its energy may be 'lost' during digestion and metabolism. Although the energy value of some foods has been found by combustion in a bomb calorimeter, more usually the amounts of the macronutrients - fat, protein, carbohydrate and alcohol (ethanol) - in a food are taken into account when assessing the total energy value of the food. The energy value for each macronutrient must be known, and an allowance made for body losses.

Fat is the most energy-dense macronutrient, followed by alcohol, protein and carbohydrate.

Energy requirement can be thought of as the amount needed to maintain the basic processes of life at rest, that is, basal metabolism, plus the amount needed for physical activity under a variety of circumstances.

Body weight is an important factor in determining how much energy we need, since more energy will be needed to sustain and move a greater body mass.

Save Money in your ... Kitchen (KitchenTips)

Posted 13 September, 2001 by PAF-News

Place a slice of bread in hardened brown sugar to soften.

To keep marshmallows from turning hard, store them in the freezer. When thawed, they're like fresh.

Wrap celery in aluminum foil before placing in the refrigerator, it will keep for weeks.

For maximum flavour and long life, wrap your prized onions (like Vidalias) individually in newspaper and store in a cool, dark place.

Cut a roll of clear plastic wrap in half to use for individually wrapping brownies, cookies and other small items. You end up with two narrow rolls of the perfect size wrap.

Bread stale? Don't toss it out, cut it into cubes or process into crumbs; place in a freezer bag and freeze for later use in recipes.

Use the cooking water of potatoes meant for mashing, in place of milk, for lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes! Drain potatoes first and incorporate the liquid back into the potatoes a little at a time as you mash or whip them.

Store nuts in the freezer to retain their freshness. There are only a few things that taste worse than old (wal)nuts :-)

Bread will stay fresher longer at room temperature or frozen.

Honey is best stored in a dry place because it tends to absorb moisture and become granulated.

Every time the door of the oven is opened, the oven temperature drops 25 to 30 degrees? Use the oven window to conserve energy.

Save all kinds of leftover bread — bagels, baguettes, biscuits, crackers, rolls, sandwich bread — and process into very fine crumbs in your food processor or blender. Store in the freezer in self-sealing plastic bags to use for stuffings and toppings.

Don't throw rock-hard dried raisins or currants away. Instead, reconstitute them by covering with cold water, bringing to a boil, then removing from the heat and letting stand for 5 minutes. Drain well before using.

Make your own superfine sugar by churning regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender.

You'll get more pop out of your popcorn if you store it in the freezer and pop while still frozen.

Recycle the plastic containers you get at the deli or salad bar. They're great for storing leftovers or freezing small portions.

To re-crisp stale crackers, spread them on a baking sheet and bake in a 300*F (150*C) oven for 5 minutes. Cool completely and seal in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Rescue an overbaked cake by drizzling with a simple sugar syrup spiked with a little Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Tia Maria or brandy.

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