One ingredient, six cultures: Lamb

Roast lamb on a Sunday was once the quintessential ‘Australian’ meal. Fast-forward 50 years, and lamb is still a favourite, but it’s no longer just the smell of a classic roast with mint sauce that is filling our kitchens of a weekend.

Source: Brett Stevens

There’s now lamb mantı, delicate dumplings brought by migrants from Turkey and served with a yoghurt sauce, spicy lamb ribs flavoured with cumin and Sichuan pepper from China’s Hunan province, a delicious slow-cooked lamb and quince tagine from Morocco, and more.

 

Recipes

Albania

The ingredients in this dish – lamb, butter, oregano, garlic and yoghurt – speak of Albania's Mediterranean cuisine. Also known as täve Elbasani, after the city in central Albania where it originates, this comforting classic is popular throughout the country – it's the meal you'd ask your mum to make, the one that reminds expats of home. Chunks of tender, garlicky lamb and rice seasoned with oregano are covered in a yoghurt topping, and then baked until it forms a golden, creamy cheese-like crust.

Baked lamb and rice with yoghurt (tave kosi)

 

China

While lamb is not commonly eaten in many parts of China, particularly in the south, this dish is a favourite in Hunan, where the ribs are often cooked over a sizzling metal plate. Hunan province, in southern China, is known for its spicy cuisine and for being the birthplace of Chairman Mao, who famously declared that "you can't be a revolutionary if you don't eat chillies". These ribs are first braised until almost tender, and are then encrusted with a mixture of cumin and five-spice powder before being wok-fried with Sichuan peppercorns and chillies.

Hunan lamb ribs

 

ItalyAbbacchio, or suckling lamb, has been a Roman springtime delicacy since ancient times, and today this dish is often served for Easter celebrations. The lamb is seasoned with a garlicky paste that includes anchovies – these lend a salty, savoury kick and are the modern replacement for garum, a fermented fish sauce widely used in Ancient Roman cuisine. We've used a leg of lamb here in place of suckling lamb.

Roman roast lamb (abbacchio alla Romana)

 

Iceland

Icelandic lamb is renowned for its flavour and quality; the result of a pure breed of sheep first brought to the isolated Nordic island by Vikings. This beloved soup is a favourite throughout Iceland, and every household has their own recipe. The combination of lamb on the bone and root vegetables make for a flavourful, nourishing meal, and some recipes call for the dish to be made heartier still by adding rice or rolled oats towards the end, which results in a thicker stew.

Lamb soup (kjotsupa)

 

Morocco

While beef is actually the most commonly consumed red meat in Morocco, it is the Moroccan style of cooking lamb that has truly taken hold in Australian kitchens, and for good reason. The combination of fragrant spices, fruit and honey helps to cut through the richness of the lamb, and the resulting braise has a wonderful balance of sweet and sour flavours. Served atop fluffy couscous, this is perfect cold weather food.

Lamb, quince and saffron tagine

 

Turkey

Crafting these delicate little parcels of lamb is a labour of love, but it's also half the fun, as making them is usually a large family affair. Made throughout Turkey and Central Asia, the method varies between regions, but the smaller the mantı, the more skilled the cook is considered. The Anatolian town of Kayseri is renowned for making the smallest versions – so small, you can fit a number of them on a spoon.

Kuzu manti (Lamb mantı)

 

 

Photography Brett Stevens.

 

As seen in Feast magazine, July 2014, Issue 33.