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What to eat in Europe? Top 68 European Lamb and Mutton Dishes

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
Top 68 European Lamb and Mutton Dishes
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01
Païdakia
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Grilled lamb chops are a traditional Greek dish that is popular throughout the country and usually enjoyed as the main course. Lamb chops are usually marinated in various combinations of olive oil, lemon juice, and a variety of fresh herbs before they are grilled on traditional charcoal barbecues.


They are commonly paired with potatoes, salads, or the creamy and refreshing tzatziki sauce.

MOST ICONIC Païdakia

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02

Lamb Dish

GREECE and  one more region
4.5
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Kleftiko is a typical Greek dish that is commonly prepared at festive events and celebrations, consisting of a succulent piece of lamb or goat meat that is wrapped in foil and baked in airtight ovens. Also spelled as klephtiko, the name comes from the Klephts, mountain rebels from the Greek Revolution who cooked the food underground, so that no aromas or steam could escape, as it could reveal their positions.


The cooked food was typically stolen, as klepht is also the root of the word kleptomaniac, describing a person with the urge to steal. Today, the meat is slowly cooked in a bowl so that it remains juicy and falls off the bone. Kleftiko is usually cooked with potatoes that soak up some of the flavorful meat juices. 

MOST ICONIC Kleftiko

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03

Lamb Dish

CASTILE AND LEÓN, Spain
4.5
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Cordero asado is a popular Castillan dish made by roasting a whole lamb over an open fire. The lamb is usually marinated with lemon, garlic, and various fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Once it is properly cooked, cordero asado is typically accompanied by roasted potatoes and onions on the side.


The dish is especially popular during the Christmas season.

04

Barbecue

CRETE, Greece
4.5
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Antikristo is a traditional technique of cooking meat on Crete. A young lamb (or a goat, on rare occasions) is cut into four pieces (called goulidia), salted, then placed on big wooden skewers that are arranged around the fire in a circular formation, taking into consideration the direction of the wind, the intensity of the fire, and the distance between the fire and the meat.


This process lets the meat cook in its own fat and salt with the heat coming from the flames instead of coals. The name antikristo means across the fire, describing this unique technique. The meat is slowly cooked, sometimes up to 6 hours, and it develops different flavors in the process. 

MOST ICONIC Antikristo

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05

Lamb Dish

ABRUZZO, Italy
4.4
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Also known as arrustelle or rustelle in local dialect, arrosticini are skewers made with castrato, the meat of castrated sheep, mutton, or sometimes even lamb, traditionally grilled on an elongated, charcoal-fired brazier called fornacella.


One of the most popular meat dishes of modern Italian cuisine, these skewers were once a staple of shepherds who lived in the mountainous areas of Abruzzo, prepared merely with leftover sheep meat of lesser quality. Today, arrosticini are made with well-marbled, more tender cuts mixed with hefty chunks of ovine fat, which makes them particularly succulent. 

MOST ICONIC Arrosticini

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06

Stew

GEORGIA
4.4
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Chanakhi is a hearty Georgian stew made with lamb, eggplant, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. The stew is typically flavored and seasoned with coriander, basil, pepper, and salt. This flavorful dish is traditionally served in individual clay pots, called chanakhi, hence the name.


It is believed that chanakhi tastes even better if reheated the next day, when all of the flavors have been thoroughly combined.

07

Lamb Dish

CRETE, Greece
4.4
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Tsigaristo is a traditional dish originating from Crete. It's prepared by sautéeing the onions in olive oil, then adding seasoned lamb meat and frying it in the pan or a clay pot over low heat. Near the end of cooking, a bit of lemon is added to finish the dish.


However, there are many variations on the dish, and some cooks use additional ingredients such as garlic and wine. What's important is that the meat is slowly cooked for several hours until it becomes incredibly tender. In the past, people used meat that wasn't eaten on the first day, but was just 'refreshed' in a frying pan with olive oil and onions.

MOST ICONIC Tsigaristo

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08

Lamb Dish

CASTILE AND LEÓN, Spain
4.3
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Lechazo is a Spanish dish consisting of a roasted suckling lamb. In order for the lamb to classify as lechazo, it must weigh between 5 and 7 kg and its age cannot be more than 20 to 30 days. The lamb must be fed only on its mother's milk, hence the name lechazo, derived from the word leche, meaning milk.


Today, numerous restaurants in Spain specialize in lechazo, where they roast the lambs in traditional wooden stoves known as hornos de leña.

MOST ICONIC Lechazo

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09

Ground Meat Dish

AZERBAIJAN and  one more region
4.3
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Lyulya kebab is a unique kebab variety popular throughout the Caucasus region. It typically consists of ground lamb combined with finely chopped onions. The mixture is seasoned with salt and black pepper, then skewered and grilled. Other types of meat such as fish and poultry can also be used in the preparation of lyulya.


What makes this kebab variety so unique is the process of kneading the meat for a long time so that it becomes denser and does not fall apart. The dish dates back to the 2nd century, and it was even praised by the famous Roman historian Pliny the Elder, as well as the famous Roman scientist Ptolemy. 

MOST ICONIC Lyulya kebab

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10
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This Greek classic consists of an oven-roasted combination of potatoes and a leg of lamb, which can be marinated or seasoned with olive oil and fresh herbs. The dish is mainly prepared for special occasions or family gatherings, and it is typically served with a drizzle of lemon juice.


This hearty main course is best enjoyed with various salads and bread on the side.

11
Stew
ROMANIA
4.3
12
13
14
Stew
SHAKI, Azerbaijan
4.2
15
16
17
Lamb Dish
KAKHETI, Georgia
4.1
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Casserole
LANCASHIRE, England
3.8
25
26
27
28
29
Stew
AZERBAIJAN
3.8
30
31
32
Casserole
ELBASAN, Albania
3.5
33
Stew
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
3.5
34
35
36
37
Stew
EXTREMADURA, Spain
3.3
38
39
40
41
42
Stew
ARMENIA
n/a
43
44
45
Lamb Dish
KALYMNOS, Greece
n/a
46
Lamb Dish
KARPATHOS, Greece
n/a
47
Stew
MONTPELLIER, France
n/a
48
49
50
Stew
EXTREMADURA, Spain
n/a
51
Lamb Dish
GRADAČAC, Bosnia and Herzegovina
n/a
52
53
54
Stew
SAINT-ETIENNE, France
n/a
55
56
Stew
LIKA-SENJ COUNTY, Croatia
n/a
57
58
Lamb Dish
PRIMORJE-GORSKI KOTAR COUNTY, Croatia
n/a
59
60
61
62
Lamb Dish
SAN MARTINO SUL FIORA, Italy
n/a
63
64
65
66
Lamb Dish
FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, Italy
n/a
67
68
Stew
IŽ, Croatia
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 68 European Lamb and Mutton Dishes” list until February 14, 2025, 3,420 ratings were recorded, of which 1,650 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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European Lamb and Mutton Dishes