Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) article on February 21, original title: Hot pot drives Australian lamb sales to China to record highAlthough largely ignored by Australian diners, the country's lamb is becoming increasingly popular in China, widely praised for its taste, fat and texture.
Last year, Australia exported 9750,000 tons, a record high, accounts for almost half of the country's total lamb exports. Australian lamb is derived from adult sheep and has a fuller fat, richer flavor, and darker color compared to lamb.
Twenty years ago, in Australia, about 6 kilograms of lamb were eaten per person per year. Diners in the country prefer lamb with a milder taste and less fat, which is usually taken from lambs that are less than a year old. Nowadays, most Australian lamb flows into the international market.
Market analyst Matt Dalglish said Chinese diners were finding mutton perfect for shabu-shabu. He said the meat was no longer popular in Australia itself. "It's thought that this lamb is less tough than lamb," he says, "but if you handle it well, it tastes and textures outstanding, and Chinese hot pot is able to do that." He said high-end diners in big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing are willing to pay a hefty premium for Australian lamb.
Dalglish said the 2018 outbreak of African swine fever and the subsequent halving of China's pig population was a turning point for Chinese diners. "There is a huge gap in meat [in China] that is filled by meat exports from various countries, and lamb from Australia plays a key role," he said. They (the Chinese) are forced to eat less pork because pork is ** expensive and ** small in quantity. They have to look for alternatives ......Mutton, in particular, because it's a tastier meat, and it's able to be handled very well by (Chinese) cooking techniques. ”
About 40% of Australia's lamb exports to China are whole sheep, and about 30% of breast and belly meat are exported. Last year, Australia exported 210,000 tonnes of lamb and 3260,000 tons of lamb. In January this year, Australia exported 170,000 tons of mutton, the highest export volume since 2007. (Written by Joanna Prendergast, translated by Liu Ming).