This Asian Country Eats The Most Lamb And Goat Meat Per Person, More Than The Next 3 Countries Combined

The average person in Mongolia eats nearly 309 pounds of meat per year, per a 2021 study in the journal Nutrients. Based on data from World Population Review, over 151 pounds of that is mutton and goat. Compare that to Bahrain, which ranks second at just 51 pounds. Turkmenistan ranks third with just under 45 pounds, and then Chad at just under 42 pounds.

When you go to a grocery store in the United States, you have some basic choices for meat. Beef, chicken, and pork are common wherever you go, and you'll also be able to find a selection of seafood. But when it comes to lamb, mutton, and goat, your choices are usually very limited — if you have them at all. Our World in Data shows that Americans eat about 144 kilograms of meat per year, or roughly 317 pounds. But according to Modern Farmer, as of 2023, only 1 pound of that is lamb.

There's a reason the Mongolian people consume not just large amounts of meat but high quantities of lamb and goat. About 40% of the population is nomadic — they don't have permanent homes. Mongolia's extreme climate, combined with the nomadic lifestyle and lack of arable land, means farming is not a viable option for most. Shepherding is a traditional part of the nomadic lifestyle, and sheep and goats have long been central to Mongolian culture.

In the past, Mongolian people needed high-fat and high-protein diets to survive the temperature extremes of the land. While urban areas in Mongolia have adapted their diets to reflect a greater range of foods, such as more vegetables, many people still live nomadically or in rural areas. These populations maintain the traditional meat-based diet.

There is a stark contrast between the industrialized farming of livestock that you'll find in Western culture and the pastoral herding culture in Mongolia. Here, 80% of agricultural production is from herding, and shepherds believe animals have their own agency. They let their herds choose where to go and don't force them to do it — sheep, goats, and cows are allowed to choose the fields they graze in and the water they drink. Freedom is vital. You will not find a single fence in rural Mongolia.

Herds provide meat, dairy (including alcoholic horse milk), clothing, fuels for fire, and insulation for yurts. The nomads cannot survive without their herds, and the herds cannot survive without their shepherds. This is a true partnership, and it's a huge part of the entire Mongolian identity in a way meat, or any food, simply isn't in the West. The Mongolian constitution even recognizes livestock as national wealth and says they are to be protected by the state.

Mongolians have developed a meat-and-dairy-heavy cuisine rooted in tradition. Try a traditional Mongolian breakfast with clotted cream and fried bread or real Mongolian barbecue like khorkhog, cooked with hot stones, as opposed to the so-called Mongolian BBQ at Chinese restaurants. It may be unfamiliar to a Western palate, but it's well worth trying just for the experience.