currently learning about the color black.
Back in the middle ages it was a difficult and long process to make black clothing..
It usually involved burning wood, roots, or plants and using the ash which even then didn't produce a true black.
But!! Using wool from animals who were naturally black, such as the mutton of black-fleeced Welsh Mountain Sheep guaranteed a true black fabric. And during the mid-19th century, some breeders began to select specifically for the black fleece color which resulted in the Black Welsh Mountain Sheep!
Merchants went crazy for it.. people got to wear black clothes.. and in the end, the actual animals tasted pretty good as well!
Win. Win. Win.
Even to this day it's the only completely black breed of sheep found in the United Kingdom and was brought to the U.S. in 1972.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on one from HeritageFoods USA.. which I broke down and did a series of specials with at EmployeesOnly!
*the whole animal*
*breaking down the quarters*
*cutting out the loin, wish I had a band saw*
