- Lamb is not a popular meat in the US, with less than 1% of the market share of pork and beef. It is much more common in Britain.
- The meat has caused US-UK relations to strain. In October 2014 the US ambassador to London complained in an interview that British people were constantly giving him lamb to eat.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Queen served Donald Trump something Americans hardly ever eat, and once even caused a minor UK-US diplomatic incident
The Queen served Donald Trump lamb during a banquet she threw on Monday to mark his state visit to the UK .
Lamb chops
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
At the lavish banquet thrown by Queen Elizabeth II in honor of President Donald Trump's state visit to the UK , the centerpiece of the meal was something Americans rarely eat: lamb.
As well as likely being a novelty for her American guests, the meat has a remarkable history in US-UK relations, prompting grumbles from US servicemen as long ago as World War II, and more recent complaints from a serving US ambassador.
On Monday night the banquet menu listed its main course as "Selle d'Agneau deWindsor Farcie Marigny" (Saddle of Windsor Farcie Marigny lamb).
ADVERTISEMENT
Lamb is a mainstay of British cuisine, and central to rural British economy, but never caught on across the Atlantic.
In the US the average person eats less than one pound of it a year , compared to 50 pounds of pork and 79 pounds of beef.
trump queen elizabeth
Dominic Lipinski/ AFP/ Getty Images
Britain's fervent love of, and US indifference to, lamb was best highlighted by the Obama-era US ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun.
ADVERTISEMENT
In October 2014 Barzun told British high-society magazine Tatler he was served lamb constantly at the fancy dinners he frequented, and was sick of it.
"I must have had lamb and potatoes 180 times since I have been here. There are limits and I have reached them," he said.
The reaction was seismic, and prompted a round of criticism in the UK media. He later apologised on BBC radio.
Rowley Leigh, chef at Le Cafe Anglais, an award-winning former London restaurant, told The Independent at the time: "Americans don't really get lamb. They'd rather have beef, or beef, or possibly beef."
obama matthew barzun
AP
ADVERTISEMENT
It's true. Sales of lamb in the US are dwarfed by beef and pork. The US is averse to lamb for several historic reasons.
One theory goes that, while awaiting deployment to mainland Europe during World War II, US soldiers were fed mutton sheep meat taken from older animals and told it was lamb.
Snuggly lambs
BusinessInsider USA Images
When they returned home in 1945, the story goes, servicemen refused to touch lamb meat ever again.
Another theory is that farmers consider sheep too docile, making them ill-suited to sprawling American ranches where they can be easily eaten by wildlife.
ADVERTISEMENT
A third theory says lamb has never been well-marketed in the US , and has suffered for the absence of major campaigns like the successful 1980s drive to increase pork consumption.
UK lamb is particularly disadvantaged in the US, and is still subject to a 1996 ban on lamb imports which were a response to the long-since eradicated outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in the UK.
In 2014, the UK government Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) submitted a 1,000-page dossier to the United States Department of Agriculture in support of lamb, but did not make much progress.
Beef
DEFRA estimates that lamb exports to the US could be worth 35 million a year to British farmers.
ADVERTISEMENT
After British farmers picked up Trump had eaten lamb on Monday, the National Sheep Association chief Phil Stocker told trade magazine The Scottish Farmer:
"We have long said the US would be a great market to tap into given the right opportunity and this could be just the chance we need to drive this forward." "Assuming President Trump enjoyed his dining experience, we can only hope it gets him thinking and will help drive forward a strengthened market in the US." "NSA would like to thank Her Majesty and all at Buckingham Palace for supporting the UK sheep sector and for endorsing British lamb in this way."
See Also:
- Here's the menu for the banquet the Queen threw in honor of Trump's UK state visit
- The Trump baby blimp that makes him 'feel unwelcome' has been raised in London to protest his state visit
- Bill Weld is challenging Trump in the 2020 Republican primary. Here's everything we know about the candidate and how he stacks up against the competition
FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
How SafeHamsters unlocks the potential of crypto betting| Insider Tips
A look into the diverse tax reforms being implemented across Africa
Dubai firm to lend South Sudan $12.9 billion in exchange for 20 years oil repayment
China dethrones USA as the most influential global power in Africa: Report
Major African economies expecting inflation ease into next year, except Nigeria
10 African countries with the lowest price changes in household commodities
Dangote refinery outranks Europe's 10 largest refining facilities
Africa may just have the lowest level of cyber threats compared to other regions
