“What do you mean he don’t eat no meat? Oh, that’s okay, that’s okay, I make lamb!” announces Thea Voula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when she discovers Ian Miller is vegetarian. You see, even though Greek cuisine is largely made up of vegetarian dishes, if meat is featured, there is always one king of meats on the Greek table – lamb.
As a country, Greece is famous for its dishes made from lamb, whether it be the lamb mince used in the traditional moussaka, the street food of lamb souvlaki, paithakia (lamb chops) or even a celebratory event such as Easter or a wedding in the village where lamb is served on the spit. Whatever the occasion, lamb appears on the menu when there is meat to be consumed. But lamb doesn’t always necessarily play a starring role in the dish created. Back in the frugal days of Greece, lamb was consumed sparingly – about twice a week – and less if you weren’t herding sheep on your property. In these dishes, they would always find a way to combine lamb with potatoes, or minced in a pita, or as a fricassee hidden under avgolemono (egg lemon sauce) and lettuce, another frugal ingredient used by villagers. In light of this, if there was ever a roast to be had, it would be lamb. A Sunday roast lamb is a universal dish and in Greece this is no exception. Yet unlike the English, who tend to serve up their lamb with mint sauce and Brussel sprouts, lamb in Greece is marinated in lemon and dried oregano and served with potatoes. The roasting of the lamb is a whole day affair and is generally consumed after Sunday morning service at church, later in the afternoon, where it becomes the only dish of the day. The meat itself literally falls off the bone as happy family members tuck in to their plate of arni (lamb).
Lamb refers to the meat of a young sheep, and at what age and sex of the sheep depends on the country of origin, but it is generally considered to be the meat of the sheep in its first year. In Greece, there are four groups: baby lamb: 4-6 weeks old; young lamb: up to a year old; sheep: 1-2 years old; and mutton: over 2 years. When shopping for lamb (1 year and under), look for pale, tender meat. It should have a fine grain and any fat (on roasts) should be white and crumbly. Red meat indicates an older animal.
The climate and landscape of Greece lends itself more to farming herds of sheep and goats than larger animals like cattle. And now, with the effect of the crisis in Greece, and many citysiders returning to village life, they are living off the land and enjoying the comfort of eating meat herded in their village. As a speciality of Greek cuisine, the whole of the lamb is consumed in a way to make the most of the slaughter of the animal. Forequarter cuts of the animal, for example, are popular in dishes such as kleftiko and kokkinisto. Lamb chops – known as paithakia – are popular in Greek cuisine and are also marinated using lemon and oregano. Lamb legs are used for roasts. The off-cuts of lamb are often minced to be used in dishes like moussaka and pastitsio but also as keftethes – mince balls. Tsoutsoukakia are also very popular which are lamb meatballs cooked in a tomato sauce. Served up with crusty bread and you have a delicious hearty winter meal. Lamb intestines are used in the dish kokoretsi, which is then stuffed with organ meat – a delicacy in many regions of Greece. Even the leftover bones are used for stock in Greek dishes and soups. As a lean and succulent meat, the flavour of lamb complements many Greek wines and ouzo.
Lamb is featured heavily in celebrations, religious and otherwise. At Easter lamb is the most popular choice and is roasted whole on the spit. And at weddings, birthdays and name days, you will often find a lamb on the spit being consumed by families not only in Greece, but of the diaspora. And, after 40 days of fasting, a healthy dose of protein from lamb is a great way to break the Easter fast.