Goats

Appears in

Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Published 2004

About

Goats are ruminant quadrupeds of the genus Capra and are indigenous to the Eastern Hemisphere. The males are bearded, and their horns curve backward. Goat meat is called by a number of names: Capretto is the flesh of young animals. Chevron comes from seven to twelve month animals, weighing sixty to one hundred twenty pounds. Cabuto is three to six months old, weighing less than sixty pounds. These three names refer to particularly tasty meats.

Goats have a long and diverse history. Dating as far back as the Neolithic era (9000 BCE), their meat and milk were used as choice dishes, particularly during the pre–Anglo-Saxon (Sumer: 200 CE) and during the Anglo-Saxon era (400–1100 CE). They were so highly favored that the animals were selected in making food offerings to the gods; Kilili, an Ancient Mesopotamian priest, said, “I have chosen you, and I offer you an irreproachable kid and worth of your divinity.” Instructions for “Kid Broth” require that the cook “Singe the head, legs, and tail (on the flames before adding them to the broth)” (Bottéro, 2004, p. 44).

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