Goats have been used for milk, meat, wool, and skins across much of the world. Milk from goats is often turned into cheese. In 2022, there were more than 1.1 billion goats living in the world, of which 150 million were in India.

Goats are among the earliest animals to have been domesticated by humans. A genetic analysis confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild bezoar ibex, found today in the Zagros Mountains, but formerly widespread in Anatolia, is the likely original ancestor of all or most domestic goats today.

Neolithic farmers began to herd wild goats primarily for easy access to milk and meat, as well as to their dung, which was used as fuel; and their bones, hair, and sinew were used for clothing, building, and tools. The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years Before Present are found in Ganj Dareh in Iran. Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in Jericho, Choga Mami, Djeitun, and Çayönü, dating the domestication of goats in Western Asia at between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago. DNA evidence suggests that goats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Historically, goat hide has been used for water and wine bottles in both traveling and transporting wine for sale, and to produce parchment.

Goats are ruminants. They have a four-chambered stomach consisting of the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum, and the abomasum. As with other mammal ruminants, they are even-toed ungulates. The females have an udder consisting of two teats, in contrast to cattle, which have four teats. An exception to this is the Boer goat, which sometimes may have up to eight teats. Goats are diploid with two sets of 30 chromosomes.

The Modern English word goat comes from Old English gāt "goat, she-goat", which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *gaitaz (cf. Dutch/Frisian/Icelandic/Norwegian geit, German Geiß, and Gothic gaits), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰaidos meaning "young goat" (cf. Latin haedus "kid"). To refer to the male goat, Old English used bucca (cf. Dutch/Frisian bok, modern English buck) until ousted by hegote, hegoote ('he-goat') in the late 12th century. Nanny goat (adult female) originated in the 18th century, and billy goat (adult male) in the 19th century. Female goats, like other various animals, are also called does. Castrated males are called wethers. While the words hircine and caprine both refer to anything having a goat-like quality, hircine is used most often to emphasize the distinct smell of domestic goats.

Juvenile goats are called kids, a term derived from Old Norse kið, with the same meaning. It has been a slang term for human children since the 1590s, and established as an informal term since the 1840s.



Goat meat is the meat of the domestic goat (Capra hircus). The term 'goat meat' denotes meat of older animals, while meat from young goats is called 'kid meat'. In South Asian cuisine, goat meat is called mutton, along with sheep meat.

Goat meat is both a staple and a delicacy in the world's cuisines. The cuisines best known for their use of goat include African cuisine, Middle Eastern, Indian, Indonesian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Abruzzese, Mexican, Caribbean (Jamaica), Haitian cuisine, Dominican cuisine and Ecuadorian. Cabrito, which is baby goat, is a typical food of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico; in Italy it is called "capretto". Goat meat can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as being stewed, curried, baked, grilled, barbecued, minced, canned, fried, or made into sausage. Goat jerky is another popular variety.

Goat has a reputation for having a strong, gamey flavour, but the taste can also be mild, depending on how it is raised and prepared. Caribbean cultures often prefer meat from mature goats, which tends to be more pungent (which is why the meat is first cleaned in a blend of lime juice and water there and it's pre-boiled with the initial boiling liquid discarded), while some other cultures prefer meat that comes from younger goats that are six to nine months old. Ribs, loins, and tenderloin goat meat are suitable for quick cooking, while other cuts are best for long braising. Despite being classified as red meat, goat is leaner and contains less cholesterol and fat than both lamb and beef, and less energy than beef and lamb; therefore, it requires low-heat, slow cooking to preserve tenderness and moisture.

Goat meat cuts tend to be very similar to lamb/sheep cuts (see image) and the cuts are often cooked in similar ways. Though there are some differences in the cuts between kid goats and older goats due to the respective sizes of the animals.

The alphabetical list of all the goat-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 223 recipes in total:

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Afghan Kofta Curry      Origin: Afghanistan	Cabrito com Inhame (Kid Goat with Yam)      Origin: Cape Verde	Egredouce (Meat in Sweet and Sour Sauce)      Origin: England
Aliter Haedinam sive Agninam Excaldatam (Roast Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Cachupa Rica      Origin: Cape Verde	Fah-Fah (Soupe Djiboutienne)      Origin: Djibouti
Aliter Haedinam sive Agninam Excaldatam (Stew of Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Cachupa Rica      Origin: Cape Verde	Fat Hen Quiche      Origin: British
Aliter Haedinam sive Agninam Excaldatam (Stew of Kid or Lamb, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Calalou (Beninese Callaloo)      Origin: Benin	Feuilles de Consoude Farcies (Stuffed Comfrey Leaves)      Origin: France
Aliter Haedum sive Agnum Assum (Roast Kid or Lamb, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Caldeiraa de Cabrito (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Mozambique	Ffowlyn Morganwg Rhost gyda Chaws a Pherlysiau (Roast Glamorgan Chicken with Cheese and Herbs)      Origin: Welsh
Aliter Haedus sive Agnus Syringiatus (Boned Suckling Kid or Lamb, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Calulu de Cabara (Goat Meat Calulu)      Origin: Angola	Fig and Goat's Cheese Brioche Toasts      Origin: Peru
Aliter Ofellas (Roast Morsels, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Camarão na Abóbora (Prawns in Pumpkin Shells)      Origin: Mozambique	Fijian Goat Curry      Origin: Fiji
Antiguan Curry Goat      Origin: Antigua	Cameroonian Jollof Rice      Origin: Cameroon	Fijian Goat Curry 2      Origin: Fiji
Antiguan Rice and Peas      Origin: Antigua	Capretto al Forno (Oven-roasted Kid Goat)      Origin: Italy	Goat and Aubergine Kebabs      Origin: Haiti
Artolaganon (Fried Savoury Pasta)      Origin: Roman	Cari Massale de Cabri (Goat Curry)      Origin: Reunion	Goat Brochettes      Origin: Rwanda
Artolaganon II (Leavened Flatbread)      Origin: Roman	Carne de Cebra Grealhado (Barbecued Goat Meat)      Origin: Guinea-Bissau	Goat Curry      Origin: Britain
Aruban Curried Goat      Origin: Aruba	Cassava Life      Origin: Sierra Leone	Goat curry      Origin: India
Aruban Curry Goat      Origin: Aruba	Caws Gafr gyda Betys a Llysiau Gwyllt (Goat's Cheese with Beetroot and Wild Herbs)      Origin: Welsh (Patagonia)	Goat Curry II      Origin: Fusion
Börek Sauvage (Wild Greens Börek)      Origin: France	Cayman Curry Goat      Origin: Cayman Islands	Goat Curry with Potatoes      Origin: Pakistan
Bahamian Crab and Rice      Origin: Saint Barthelemy	Cheese and Sesame Balls      Origin: Roman	Goat in the Burmese Style      Origin: Fusion
Bajan Curry Goat      Origin: Barbados	Chichinga (Skewered Goat)      Origin: Central African Republic	Goat Meat and Root Vegetable Stew in Ale      Origin: Britain
Bajan Curry Powder      Origin: Barbados	Chiles En Nogada (Stuffed Chillies in White Sauce)      Origin: Mexico	Goat Meat Soup      Origin: Liberia
Balti Tandoori Keema      Origin: Britain	Chivo Guisado Liniero (Spicy Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Dominican Republic	Goat Meat Suya      Origin: Nigeria
Bangladeshi Goat Curry      Origin: Bangladesh	Chivo Picante (Dominican Spicy Goat)      Origin: Dominican Republic	Goat Mince Rissole      Origin: Britain
Basto and Suugo      Origin: Somalia	Citrus Goat Meat Stew      Origin: Tanzania	Goat Water      Origin: Antigua
Basto and Suugo      Origin: Djibouti	Clay-baked Leg of Goat      Origin: Britain	Goat Water      Origin: Saint Kitts
Beninese Goat Stew      Origin: Benin	Colombo de Chèvre (Goat Colombo Curry)      Origin: Sint Maarten	Goat's Cheese Muffins (Goat's Cheese Muffins)      Origin: Britain
Bhindi Gosht (Pakistani Mutton and Okra Curry)      Origin: Pakistan	Colombo de Chèvre (Goat Colombo Curry)      Origin: Saint-Martin	Gode Paest      Origin: England
Bhojpur Mutton Curry      Origin: India	Copadia Haedina Sive Agnina (Choice Cuts of Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Gongura Mamsam      Origin: India
Blossom-stuffed Pork Tenderloin      Origin: American	Cornish Fish Pie      Origin: England	Gratin Christophine (Chayote Gratin)      Origin: Guadeloupe
Bottle Masala Meatball Curry      Origin: India	Curried Goat      Origin: Jamaica	Gratin de pommes de terre des Antilles (Antilles Potato Gratin)      Origin: Guadeloupe
Brewet of Almayn (Bruet of Almonds)      Origin: England	Curry Chicken with Potatoes      Origin: Trinidad	Grenada Curry Goat      Origin: Grenada
Brochettes de Boeuf (Beef Kebabs)      Origin: Rwanda	Dhaba Mutton Curry      Origin: India	Gulai Kambing (Sumatran Goat Curry)      Origin: Martinique
Brunei Satay      Origin: Brunei	Dibi      Origin: Gambia	Haedum Laseratum (Kid Goat Seasoned with Laser)      Origin: Roman
Bucellae cum Lacte Caprino (Bred Morsels with Goats' Milk)      Origin: Roman	Djibouti Sambusas      Origin: Djibouti	Haedum Laureatum ex Lacte (Suckling Kid Crowned with Laurel and Milk [Sausage])      Origin: Roman
Burundi Brochettes      Origin: Burundi	Dominica Curried Goat      Origin: Dominica	Haedum sive Agnum Parthicum (Parthian Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman
Cabri aux Gombos et Patates Douces (Goat with Okra and Sweet Potatoes)      Origin: Senegal	Dominica Sancocho      Origin: Dominica	Haedus sive Agnum Tarpeianum (Kid or Lamb à la Tarpeius)      Origin: Roman
Cabri farci, façon afar (Stuffed Goat, Afar Style)      Origin: Djibouti	Domoda II      Origin: Gambia
Cabri Massalé (Kid Goat Massala)      Origin: Reunion	Dopiazeh      Origin: Iran

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