re: #385 Barefoot Grin

When the topic of lamb came up I remembered that my mom likes it with mint sauce/jelly. So I googled the topic of why mint with lamb. Some compelling theories: actually a holdover from medieval thinking about combinations of foods under prevailing medical doctrine based on “humours”; they didn’t actually eat lamb, but ate mutton and had to have some thing to cover the strong taste; English law mandated it because it actually tasted horrible with the meat, commoners were getting a taste for lamb and it was cutting into England’s main export market—wool, but they didn’t outlaw the eating of lamb because it was a dish of the elite. All are compelling, but I like the English law theory. Remains inconclusive.

Lamb with mint sauce or mint jelly is WONDERFUL! One of my favorites! I don’t care what kind of holdover it is. It was my husband’s absolute favorite, as well.