# Why don't we eat more goat meat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102 "2013-03-16T17:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/41 "2013-03-17T20:48:22Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You forgot Turkey. On a mainstream American diet you could go for years without eating any meat/poultry that didn’t come from a cow, pig, chicken, or turkey, to the point that most Americans would consider just about anything outside those “big four” to be unfamiliar and exotic. I consider fish as meat. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/42 "2013-03-17T20:55:03Z")
Because, we are already…sluggish from goat meat whilst glistening from sexplay in the Greek Isle’s long ago… ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/43 "2013-03-17T20:58:35Z")
> [@sidhechaos](#): > > I wish farming them would become more popular, especially sine I’ve developed digestion issues with cows milk, have the same problems with soymilk, but tolerate goat milk fairly well. however, when I can actually find it here in outer redneckistan, its 5 bucks a quart. ☹ If I had enough land I’d build a little shed and stop having to mow the damn lawn. maybe get me a chicken or three while I was at it. (neighbor would prolly have a stroke, though it’s okay for them to have 8 big mouthy ass hunting dogs tearing up the place all the time) If you are in outer redneckistan there are probably small home producers happy to sell you some goat milk. Just need to find them. Couple points about your future plans: if you want your lawn mowed you would be a lot better off with a couple of sheep. Goats don’t care for grass but will strip your trees and shrubs for you. Keep them in limited quarters and you will need super tight fencing, much stronger than for sheep, which do not climb, jump, or rub on fences like goats do. You’ll need to ensure their safety from predators including dogs. And if you want to produce goat milk you will need to be home every single day of your goats’ lactation cycles, you will need to learn how to milk, and how to use best practices for handling your milk safely. You’ll be buying and storing feed, coping with rats, building a milking stand, and dealing with breeding your does, taking care of their kids, and really, on and on and on. Just saying. It’s what I’m doing right now. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/44 "2013-03-17T22:42:40Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’d imagine that would mean goat is the most widely eaten food, not that more goat is consumed than other meats. Good point. You could look at it as how much of “x” is eaten, or how many people eat “x” at least once per year. I still think China (and large parts of East Asia), and the rest of the developed world would swamp out the goat-eaters. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/45 "2013-03-17T23:53:43Z")
Question raised: So where in Chicago can I try goat? (Preferrably counter service and near the loop or the "L ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/46 "2013-03-18T00:45:18Z")
I grew up in Puerto Rico. I have lived in San Antonio for ~25 years. I am married to a Muslim of Pakistani descent who was raised in Saudi Arabia. Puerto Rico: when I lived there, goat was seen as a meat for special dishes for festive occasions. It was prepared “guisada”-style (similar to fricassée). (The way it was seasoned differed from how Mexicans season their “carne guisada”). I didn’t care for Puerto Rican-style cabrito guisada so, I grew up thinking I didn’t care for goat meat. Then, an acquaintance of my mother’s, who was from one of the British Virgin Islands, prepared curried goat for me and I absolutely loved it. Texas: As mentioned in a previous post, “cabrito” is a popular Mexican dish. Saudi Arabia: goat is a popular meat there, although I do not know how it is seasoned or prepared. Pakistan: goat is also a popular meat there. I am most familiar with a recipe in which it is cooked fricassée-style. (I find this recipe rather too greasy for my taste.) One interesting thing I noticed about Muslims in south-central Texas is that, for the festival of [Eid al-Adha](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha), goat is the preferred species for observing the event, as opposed to sheep. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/47 "2013-03-18T01:20:36Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Question raised: > > So where in Chicago can I try goat? (Preferrably counter service and near the loop or the "L The best place (IMHO) is off the Orange Line Pulaski stop, [Birrieria Zaragoza.](http://www.yelp.com/biz/birrieria-zaragoza-chicago) Not only for their wonderful goat, but for their homemade tortillas that are cooked up on the spot for you. They close around 7 p.m., just so you know. If you ever decide to go, you can drop me a line, as I live a few blocks away. Most of the good goat places I could think of are in Pilsen or Little Village. Closer to the Loop, there is [Girl and the Goat](http://www.girlandthegoat.com/), but that’s a proper sit-down restaurant. [Xoco](http://www.yelp.com/biz/xoco-chicago) on 449 N. Clark St., also has goat barbacoa as a special on Saturdays, but I would call ahead to make sure that hasn’t changed. What you’re looking for at Mexican places is birria or barbacoa. Birria is more stewy and wet, and barbacoa is more like steamed meat. The thing is, barbacoa is usually beef, in my experience, around here, unless it specifically says barbacoa de chivo (goat) or barbacoa de borrego (lamb/mutton). Birria is usually goat, but it can also be lamb or mutton. I’ve been told that a lot of what gets sold as “chivo” here in Chicago is actually mutton. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/48 "2013-03-18T01:51:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Good point. You could look at it as how much of “x” is eaten, or how many people eat “x” at least once per year. I still think China (and large parts of East Asia), and the rest of the developed world would swamp out the goat-eaters. I’d agree. If there’s a statistic to be had here it’s probably meaningless. McDonald’s use of beef probably overshadows all of the goat consumption in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/49 "2013-03-18T03:24:52Z")
That does sound perfect as I normally fly into Midway and take the orange and red lines to my appointments at Northwestern University. Normally I’m just in Chicago during the business day though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/50 "2013-03-18T04:42:02Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > That does sound perfect as I normally fly into Midway and take the orange and red lines to my appointments at Northwestern University. Normally I’m just in Chicago during the business day though. Yep, just one stop on the Orange line from Midway, and about a quarter mile walk north on Pulaski. I believe it opens at around 10 a.m. during the work week. It’s worth checking out. Like I said, if you’re in town and want to meet for lunch or dinner, drop a line. I’m usually working from home during the week. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/51 "2013-03-18T08:18:44Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Goats are NOT harder to raise than sheep, or cattle. They are just a bit different. It really depends on the situation. They are certainly one of the very oldest domesticated animals. There is nothing wrong or odd about eating goat. It is a pleasant meat much like mutton (lamb). However…growing up a NZ sheep farm with the occasional goat as a pet I can say that sheep are an order of magnitude easier to farm. Plus they provide much more wool and meat per animal. Goats are smart and cool but they are a bit like cats - they don’t readily take orders. If a goat decides to go over a fence, it will. Sheep are more placid - fence in the way? meh why bother. The main value of goats in OECD countries is their fine hair - mohair and milk to make feta. They are uneconomic as a meat animal compared to beef and sheep. To be fair the same could be said of farming deer which are a highly strung species and not easily managed. Yet I drove past umpteen deer farms yesterday. The markets for venison and deer velvet are strong. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/52 "2013-03-18T08:26:44Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > The main value of goats in OECD countries is their fine hair - mohair and milk to make feta. They are uneconomic as a meat animal compared to beef and sheep. Also, they can be raised in conditions where other herd animals can’t - mountanous, rocky, arid terrain, for example - goats will happily scramble through and pick out the food plants from amongst the thorns. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/53 "2013-03-18T12:39:53Z")
Yes that is certainly true. The average goat is a hardy individual who will thrill to the sight of thistles high on a rock face whereas the average sheep will shrug and wander downhill. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/54 "2013-03-18T12:50:28Z")
I wonder if the perceived gaminess of some goat is related to their varied diet. Are there any plants that will affect gaminess? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/55 "2013-03-18T12:54:37Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Yes that is certainly true. The average goat is a hardy individual who will thrill to the sight of thistles high on a rock face whereas the average sheep will shrug and wander downhill. 😃 As these frankly astonishing photos of goats grazing on the wall of a dam demonstrate: > **[National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/)** > > Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration. They are very sure-footed creatures! ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/56 "2013-03-18T13:37:47Z")
Isn’t this an agricultural story rather than cultural? I suspect goat really are not suited to large production in North America like cattle are. As mentioned above goat are often raised in marginal conditions that other animals are not suited to. I get the impression that many of the places where goat is more common have grazing land of marginal quality. Cattle are bred to be docile and carry a lot of meat, I suspect that on productive land they produce a lot more meat for your effort than goat do. Pigs and chicken can be raised in smaller pens and are well suited to combined agriculture. I have also heard that goat can be very destructive to pasture with a grazing behavior that trims grass down to its roots (and also denudes shrubs). There is a story that back when Southern Alberta was being settled a group of Scottish goat farmers were run off from the Okotoks area by local ranchers because it was felt that the goats would ruin the pasture. My only cite is local oral tradition, and history of grazing politics is full of land grabs so take that as you will. I do know that goat are sometimes used to clear shrub from pasture and to get rid of unwanted species for environmental reclamation. I really like goat, only had it in stew like meals like curry but yum. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/57 "2013-03-18T14:57:12Z")
Marvin Harris wrote about this in _Good to Eat: Riddles of Food and Culture_. I don’t have my copy at hand and I don’t remember what he said. But it’s an environmental/economic issue that became a cultural standard. (Like everything else, really.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/58 "2013-03-18T15:20:48Z")
You might find more goat available as meat where goat’s milk products are more common. I assume any butcher should be able to obtain goat for you. Several restaurants in this are offer goat dishes, but it’s possible they’re using lamb or mutton instead. I think farms that are raising goats for meat are probably producing goat’s milk as well. The goats are probably being fed grain and allowed to graze on grass, and that would produce less gamy meat than a free range goat. [From here](http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/meatgoats/meatgoatfs2.htm): > [@](#): > > Alpine dams (mother goats are called dams) give lots of milk and tend to have big kids at birth. This is an advantage if you are raising kids for the Easter market where you need them to put weight on quickly. [More on goats raised for meat at this site:](http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/U/UNP-0104/#) > [@](#): > > Since the early 1990s, importation of goat meat and domestic meat goat production has continued to increase. Much of this is attributed to increasing demand created by populations immigrating to the United States. Persons from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean, who have relocated to the United States, are accustomed to eating goat meat. These persons continue to have a preference for goat meat during religious holidays, on special occasions, and during extended holidays when families and friends gather together. In 2003, the US Census Bureau reported 33.5 million foreign-born US citizens. This population trend that accounts for domestic goat meat consumption is expected to last for years to come and is considered to be the driving force behind the increasing interest in meat goat production throughout the United States. > [@](#): > > Information from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) shows that Australia is the primary exporter of goat meat into the United States. In 2008, the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service reported 3,150,000 meat goats in the United States, yet American producers are unable to meet domestic demand. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/59 "2013-03-18T16:21:52Z")
I kiled a male goat that had not been castrated and he tasted awful to the point we could not consume the meat. I felt terrible that we killed him for nothing but it was just bad. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102/60 "2013-03-18T21:21:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Are you sure? Goat is popular in India but rarely served in Indian restaurants. The Indian buffet near my office serves it. It is quite good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-more-goat-meat/653102.md?page=4)