Mountain lamb (general)

Mountain lamb is the editorial catchall for the various European heritage sheep breeds (Aubrac, Castellana, Sambucana, various Pyrenees breeds) whose meat enters traditional cured-meat work in their regional ranges. Cured lamb is much less common globally than cured pork or beef — most lamb is eaten fresh — but regional traditions exist throughout the European mountain ranges. French Aubrac plateau produces air-dried mountain-lamb specialties; Spanish Pyrenees regional cured-lamb work overlaps with the broader Iberian cured-meat culture; Italian alpine traditions include various lamb-and-pork combined products.

The breed-specific characteristics matter less than the broader category of mountain-grazed lamb (slower-grown, leaner, more flavorful from herbal pasture diets) vs commodity lamb. Cured-lamb products generally use the same dry-cure and air-drying methods as cured beef and pork, scaled to lamb's smaller cuts.