Meat By Any Other Name

Posted Dec 21, 2005 by Vidisha Priyanka

Updated Dec 21, 2005 at 04:52 PM

At work today, I learned something new. Goat meat is called chevon. This, after a lunchtime conversation about mutton.

We were pondering whether or not to buy goat cheese, and then turned to what it was called. I insisted goat meat was called mutton, but my co-worker,  Janine, was adamant it was a grown sheep’s meat that was called mutton.

We looked it up in the dictionary and, yes, she was right – sheep meat is called mutton and goat meat is called chevon.  But Wikipedia did mention that goat meat was called mutton in India. Given Wikipedia’s woes lately, no one was ready to concede a point to me.

So now I know that goat meat is called chevon, and veal is calf, and venison is deer, and pork is pig, and beef is cow.

For me, it was humble pie.