National Roast Leg of Lamb Day is a holiday that’s observed every year on May 7th. Human beings have been not only eating lamb but also using it for its wool for over 10,000-years. Lamb quickly became a popular farm animal, and by the Middle Ages, farmers were utilizing lambs to provide meat, milk for butter and cheese, wool for clothing, and its skin for making parchments.

Although lamb is not as popular as cows, pigs or chickens are nowadays for food, many people all around the world still enjoy eating lamb. Typically, the leg of a lamb will be coated with butter and rosemary and then roasted for several hours until it’s nice and tender. It’s so delicious, it’s no wonder someone invented this holiday to celebrate it.

Some Interesting Facts About Lambs

We’ve done a bit of research on sheep, so we decided we should list some of the facts that we learned about them below. The following facts will give you something to talk about while you’re enjoying your roasted leg of lamb and roasted vegetables.

• Raising sheep is one of the oldest organized industries in the entire world.
• A rack roast usually has about eight rib bones in it.
• Sheep produce milk, wool, mutton, and lamb meat.
• Mutton is the flesh of a mature ewe or ram that’s at least 1-year old.
• Yearling mutton is the meat of a sheep between 12-months old and 20-months old.
• Lamb is meat from a sheep that’s younger than a year old.
• In the U.S., lamb is preferred over mutton.
• In Europe and the Middle East, mutton is preferred over lamb.

Observing National Roast Leg Of Lamb Day

If you search online, you’ll find thousands of recipes for roasted leg of lamb, so the toughest part of this holiday is going to be choosing the one you like the most.

When that’s done, we suggest that you pair your lamb with whole roasted carrots, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, and a melange of Mediterranean vegetables. We also recommend that you use the hashtag #NationalRoastLegOfLambDay on your social media accounts to announce to the world that you’re celebrating this holiday.