TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Scandinavian Fresh Meat Types
Lofotlam refers to lamb meat from lambs born, raised, and grazed in the pristine environment of the Lofoten Islands. The meat can be fresh or frozen, prime cuts, and various other cuts. The lambs have to be at least 16 kg and are between 4 and 10 months old when slaughtered.
The Lofotlam lamb meat is light red and slightly yellower than other lamb meats, with a fresh aroma, soft texture, and slightly gamey taste. The meat is naturally pre-salted, adding to its unique flavor profile. Also, the meat is notable for its high ratio of intramuscular fat, resulting in juicy and tender cuts.
THIS SPECIES IS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. Blekinge duck or Blekingeanka is a Swedish ruddy duck with white patches and a white neck, although there are also reports of sightings of pure-white Blekinge ducks. The legs and beaks are yellow-orange or orange, with black tips.
There are only around 200 of these ducks, which is why they are considered to be one of the most endangered birds in the world. This hardy breed is suited for northern climates, and the ducks were traditionally brought into the stables during winter, then released when summer came.
THIS CHICKEN BREED IS RARE. Bohuslän-Dals svarthöna is a breed of Swedish black domestic chicken. It is believed that the chickens were first brought to Norway in the 17th century by sailors from Mozambique. In the mid-19th century, they started to appear in the Swedish Bohuslän Dalsland region, where they were mixed with local chicken breeds, and nowadays we have Swedish black chicken as a result – a distinct breed of small chicken with completely black skin.
These rare chickens are usually kept for their cream-colored eggs.
THIS BREED IS ENDANGERED. Roslag sheep or Roslagsfår is an endangered breed of Swedish sheep, believed to have originated in Raggarön in Roslagen. Nowadays, there are only around 500 of these animals on the planet. The sheep are usually kept for the production of wool and meat.
They have white or ivory-colored wool, although there are also black and bicolored sheep. The average weight for ewes is from 35 to 40 kg, but rams can reach up to 50 kg.
THIS BREED IS ENDANGERED. Native to Sweden, Mellerud rabbit originated from bondkaniner (farm rabbits), but in the 1990s, the population declined, and Mellerud rabbit was almost extinct. In 2001 in Dalsland, the breed was rediscovered, and today it is classified as an endangered breed – in 2013, there were only 160 Mellerud rabbits on the planet.
They are medium-sized, with a coat that is either black with white spots or pure white. Their fur is fine and short, the eyes are large, while the ears are of medium-length. These rabbits are mainly kept for their extremely tasty meat.
THIS SPECIES IS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. The small to medium-sized Lapp goats did not have an easy life: the breed was considered extinct until it was rediscovered in 2001 in Fatmomakke, and today it is classified as critically endangered.
In 2013, there were just 198 registered Lapp goats. These goats have a wider head and shorter legs than common goats. Most Lapps are pure white in color, although there are also black, piebald, and partially grey and black goats. The breed is accustomed to the mountainous area in Sweden, and it is mostly kept for the production of milk.
Vadehavsstude is fresh beef meat from young cattle of the Danish Holstein breed, produced in the Jutland region in Denmark, or, more specifically, on the Wadden Sea islands. The meat must come exclusively from castrated male animals, weighing from 200 to 380 kilograms at the time of slaughter.
During the winter, the animals feed on grass and maize silage, and they must graze in the region's salt meadows for at least four and a half months per year. The unique flora of the geographical area makes the meat distinctively flavorful, tender, juicy and salty.
Vadehavslam, or Wadden Sea lamb is fresh lamb meat from the animals of the Texel breed, born and reared in the Wadden Sea region of south-west Denmark. The lambs are quite large (19-25 kilos when slaughtered), meaty, and feed on the grass from the salt meadows where they graze in the winter, along with maize silage, and hay supplemented with barley.
They feed on the salt meadows for at least four and a half months per year. Their meat is lean and flavorful, with a distinctively unique, salty taste due to the high potassium and sodium content in the grass. It is a product with a great reputation, and it is even described in the tourist brochures of the Wadden Sea national park as an important part of the region's heritage.
Hånnlamb is the name for whole carcasses and cuts of lamb and sheep of the gutefår breed that is born, reared and slaughtered in the Gotland area in Sweden. Hånnlamb is Gotland word for 'sheep with horns' - the original name of the horned sheep from Gotland rescued from extinction during the early 1900s and later named gutefår in 1973.
Gute sheep descended from the old rustic sheep who have adapted to the conditions of the Gotland climate and vegetation. The meat has been marketed both on Gotland and in the rest of Sweden and the animals must be raised on Gotland's high quality pastures.
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