The Meat Giada De Laurentiis Wishes You'd Eat More Of

Giada De Laurentiis has built her culinary brand around her family's Italian heritage. In fact, the co-star of "Bobby and Giada in Italy" got her big break when editors of the magazine Food & Wine asked her if she would be willing to be part of an article that would focus on her famous grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis, and her family's Italian culture, sharing recipes they cooked together. That single decision started her on the road to the culinary celebrity she enjoys today. Known as an Italian chef with a Californian's flare for entertaining, De Laurentiis is easily one of Food Network's most visible stars.

And while De Laurentiis isn't afraid to riff on some of her favorite Italian meals — hello, Mortadello sliders – she is also a bit of a traditionalist. In fact, there is one type of meat that is a central part of the Italian cooking culture she wishes her American viewers would more readily embrace and eat more often. The Giadzy blogger admits that while people in the United States do not generally have this meat on their weekly shopping list, it is her absolute favorite, which is why, to the dismay of her publishers, she always includes recipes that use it in her cookbooks. 

In an interview with Milk Street, De Laurentiis shared that her favorite meat is one that is not so popular with many in the United States; however, the star of "Giada at Home" didn't let that deter her from including recipes that utilize it. De Laurentiis told the publication, "I like lamb and every time I put a lamb recipe in my book my publishers are like, 'But really people don't like lamb.' I'm like, but I love lamb, and I'm Italian and they should eat lamb, because it's way better for them than all the beef they're consuming. ... I know it's never a favorite recipe in any of my books. But I would be doing a disservice to my culture and to myself if I didn't put it in there. It is my favorite meat of choice."

De Laurentiis is correct in her assessment. Comparatively speaking, Americans are not overly fond of lamb. Per the Meat Institute, in 2017, meat production in the US totaled more than 100 billion pounds, with poultry tipping the scale 48 billion pounds. Lamb and mutton only accounted for 150.2 million pounds of that total. Cafe Evergreen is quick to extol the virtues of this red meat, sharing that it is high in zinc and rich in omega 3 fatty acids. So, maybe it is time to jump on the De Laurentiis bandwagon and eat more lamb.