Year of the Goat: The Universal High-Flavor, Low-Fat Meat

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Jan 7th 2011 @ 1:00PM

goat roll, shoulder, and wrapped in prosciutto Photo: avlxyz, Flickr

Goat meat, also known as chevon or cabrito, is prized all over Africa, India and the Middle East for its lean, low-cholesterol meat which breaks down like lamb and tastes like a cross between lamb, venison and beef -- with about half the fat. That's because, unlike most livestock, they won't overeat.

The Vancouver Sun, which predicts 2011 will be the year of the goat on our side of the Atlantic, spoke with Chef Nico Schuermans, who says it's very flavorful. "[Goats] don't eat a lot, like sheep, which is why it's hard to fatten them up," he told the paper. "It's been hard to find but butchers are looking for it. It's getting more and more popular in New York and Montreal but we'll get it sooner or later."

Would you (or have you) tried a bite of goat? We already hold their creamy cheese, or chèvre, high on the scale of decadent dairy, and if this week's episode of Chopped, where chef contestants found goat brains in their baskets, is any indication of its acceptance into mainstream America, we could find it in our butcher shops and staple dining menus sooner than we think.

But trust, we won't be the first ones after the offal. Goat can easily be swapped for any dishes that use lamb: in stews, curries or slow-roasted with herbs to eat off the bone or slice into tacos.

Filed Under: Trends
Tags: goat, goat meat, GoatMeat, Low-cholesterolMeals

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-07-2011 @3:24PM 56dustbunny said... For the last two years, I've had awesome slow cooked whole goat at my boyfriend's brothers house at Christmas, they are traditional Mexican and do this for Christmas eve dinner in one of those large metal slow roaster thingies. It is sublime, the meat just falls right off the bones and is so delicious. I'm not sure what else goes into it but it's in a saucy brothy liquid, which I could drink all by itself. Sooooo good :) happy food for sure :)
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1-07-2011 @11:46PM Steven Di Ciucci said... Epicurious.com, my on-line recipe resource has only 2 recipes for goat meat, one for Mexican style tacos and one for a French style gratin. My Mom remembers roasted kid goat for Easter as a child (here in Oakland, CA) and her side of the family came from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. I've only eaten it in a Mexican restaurant once or twice and it was very good. Just like chicken only very, very different.
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