The first records of domesticated sheep were from the Middle East and Central Asia but since then they have been introduced everywhere.
The sheep is an extremely versatile animal and exists in a wide variety of habitats worldwide. They can live in any conditions from temperate mountain forests to desert.
Physical details of domestic sheep vary greatly among the different breeds. Head and body length differ but the length of an average sheep is one metre. Female sheep are smaller than their male counterparts, tending to be about three quarters to two thirds their size. Wild sheep have smaller tails than the domesticated ones as their tails are a fat reserve, but the tails are normally removed on most commercial farms. The characteristic smell of the sheep is due to glands placed in the groin area and in the hoof, between the two toes. The glands secrete a clear fluid. Sheep are ready to mate after about one year old and when pregnant the gestation period is five months. They give birth to one or at the most two, young.
My Neck of Lamb Recipe
One of the cheaper cuts of lamb is the neck. Generally overlooked
by people it is not only cheap but very tasty as well.
Here's a
casserole that I regularly make.
You will need:
Two cuts of the neck.
Potato
Onion
Garlic
Diced kidney
Lamb or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
A small sprig of thyme
Put sliced potato in the bottom of a casserole dish. Place one of the neck cuts on top of them and add sliced onion, garlic and diced kidney. Season with salt and pepper. Put in more potato, then another cut of neck, onion, garlic and kidney. The final layer is potato, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the thyme in with the layers. Cover it all with stock, put a lid on and cook in a preheated oven at gas mark 6 or 200C for an hour. Remove the lid for the last twenty minutes of cooking to brown the top layer.
