Abstract

So long as humans have been raising animals, they have been eating lamb. In this engaging history, Brian Yarvin tells the story of how we’ve raised, cooked, and eaten lamb over the centuries and the place it’s established in a wide range of cuisines and cultures worldwide.
           
Starting with the earliest days of lamb and sheep farming in the ancient Middle East, Yarvin traces the spread of lamb to cooks in ancient Rome and Greece. He details the earliest recorded meals involving lamb in the Zagros Mountains of Iraq and Iran, explores its role in Renaissance banquets in Italy, and follows its path to China, India, and even Navajo tribes in America. Taking his story up to the present, Yarvin considers the growing locavore movement, one that has found in lamb a manageable, sustainable source of healthy—and tasty—protein. Richly illustrated and peppered with recipes, Lamb will be the perfect accompaniment to your next grilled chop or braised shank.

“Yarvin explores the historical development of different lamb dishes around the world, and engages in some first-hand reportage himself. While lamb might not be as common a dish for many North Americans as some other meats, it’s likely to play a heightened role in the future.”
  — Hans Rollman, PopMatters
Brian Yarvin is a food photographer and author of a number of books, including The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook, based in New York.