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 241 recipes in total:

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Gratin Christophine (Chayote Gratin)      Origin: Guadeloupe	Kokoretsi      Origin: Greece	Nigerian Goat Meat Pie      Origin: Nigeria
Gratin de pommes de terre des Antilles (Antilles Potato Gratin)      Origin: Guadeloupe	Laal Maas (Rajasthani Red Mutton Curry)      Origin: India	Nigerian Goat Stew      Origin: Nigeria
Grenada Curry Goat      Origin: Grenada	Lamb Stuffed with Chicken      Origin: Montenegro	Nigerian Meat Pie      Origin: Nigeria
Gulai Kambing (Sumatran Goat Curry)      Origin: Martinique	Lamb Tarkari (Lamb Yoghurt Curry)      Origin: Nepal	Nigerian Spiced Goat Meat Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria
Haedum Laseratum (Kid Goat Seasoned with Laser)      Origin: Roman	Lampara Curry      Origin: Sri Lanka	Nigerian Spiced Mixed Meat Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria
Haedum Laureatum ex Lacte (Suckling Kid Crowned with Laurel and Milk [Sausage])      Origin: Roman	Maafe (Meat Peanut Stew)      Origin: Mali	Nyama yeMbudzi (Traditional Zimbabwean Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Zimbabwe
Haedum sive Agnum Parthicum (Parthian Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Malaysian Goat Rendang      Origin: Malaysia	Obe Ata Dindin (Nigerian Red Sauce)      Origin: Nigeria
Haedus sive Agnum Tarpeianum (Kid or Lamb à la Tarpeius)      Origin: Roman	Mangsher Brown Stew (Mutton Brown Stew)      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Ofellas Assas (Roast Morsels)      Origin: Roman
Haedus sive Agnus Crudus (Seasoning for Raw Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somalia	Ofellas Garatas (Braised Morsels)      Origin: Roman
Haedus sive Agnus Syringiatus (Boned Suckling Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somaliland	Ofellas Garaton (Morsels with Fish-sauce)      Origin: Roman
Harira Mauritanienne (Mauritanian Harira)      Origin: Mauritania	Maraq Hilib Ari (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Somalia	Oodkac (Somali Preserved Meat)      Origin: Somalia
Iecinera Haedina vel Agnina (Liver of Kid Goat or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Marolaym      Origin: Mauritania	Paasto Forno (Somali Pasta al Forno)      Origin: Somaliland
Igra Stobá (Liver Stew)      Origin: Bonaire	Maroumbo ya Nadzi (Tripe with Bananas)      Origin: Mayotte	Pakistani Seekh Kebab      Origin: Pakistan
Igra Stobá (Liver Stew)      Origin: Curacao	Mattar Paneer Curry      Origin: India	Peruvian Goat Stew      Origin: Peru
Isi Ewu (Spiced Goat Head)      Origin: Nigeria	Mbuzi ya masala (Goat Meat Dry Fry)      Origin: Mayotte	Potato and Broccoli Gratin with Goat's Cheese      Origin: Ireland
Jamaican Curried Goat      Origin: Jamaica	Methi Kalia (Spicy Fenugreek Meat)      Origin: Bangladesh	Pourcelet farci (Stuffed Suckling Pig)      Origin: France
Jamaican Goat Patties      Origin: Jamaica	Minchet Abish Wot      Origin: Ethiopia	Pre-cooked Goat      Origin: Britain
Jerk Kebabs      Origin: Jamaica	Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins (Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins)      Origin: Britain	Pultes (Meat Pottage)      Origin: Roman
Jerked Goat and Plantain Kebabs      Origin: Jamaica	Mirkapaya Mamsam Koora      Origin: India	Pumpkin, Goat's Cheese and Kale Tart with Three-cornered Leeks      Origin: Britain
Jerked Leg of Goat      Origin: Jamaica	Miyan Kuka II (Baobab Leaf Soup II)      Origin: Nigeria	Pumpkin, Goat's Cheese and Kale Tart      Origin: British
Kabritu Stoba (Stewed Kid Goat)      Origin: Aruba	Montserratian Goat Water      Origin: Montserrat	Punjabi Mutton Curry      Origin: India
Kabritu Stobá (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Saba	Mrefisa      Origin: Western Sahara	Ragoût de Chévre au Riz (Goat Stew with Rice)      Origin: DR-Congo
Kabritu Stobá (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Curacao	Muamba de Cabara (Goat Meat Muamba)      Origin: Angola	Ragoût de cabri créole (Creole Goat Stew)      Origin: Guadeloupe
Kansiyé      Origin: Guinea	Muqmad (Djibouti Preserved Meat)      Origin: Djibouti	Red Oil Greens      Origin: Liberia
Kansiyé      Origin: Guinea-Bissau	Mutton Kulambu (Pondicherry Mutton Curry)      Origin: India	Red Oil Sweet Potato Greens      Origin: Liberia
Kari Kambing (Mutton or Goat Curry)      Origin: Indonesia	Mutton Masala      Origin: Sri Lanka	Riz Gras du Burkinabé (Burkina Faso Fat Rice)      Origin: Burkina Faso
Kebab with Garlic      Origin: Western Sahara	Mutton Paya      Origin: India	Roast Leg of Goat      Origin: Britain
Kede in Bokenade (Kid Goat in Sauce)      Origin: England	Mutton Roganjosh      Origin: India	Roast Shoulder of Goat      Origin: Britain
Khasi Ko Masu (Nepali Goat Meat Curry)      Origin: Nepal	Mutton Saag      Origin: India	Rosemary Goat Curry      Origin: Zimbabwe
Khela Kalia (West Bengali Lamb Curry)      Origin: India	Mutton Sukha Curry      Origin: India	Rwanda Goat Pelau      Origin: Rwanda
Kid Goat Korma      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Nakelda (Istrian Bread Rolls)      Origin: Slovenia	Saba Curry Goat      Origin: Saba
Kissuto Rombo (Baked Kid Goat)      Origin: Sao Tome	Nalli Nihari (Mutton Shank Nihari)      Origin: India	Saint Lucia Curried Goat      Origin: Saint Lucia
Kofta Nakhod (Meatballs with Chickpeas)      Origin: Afghanistan	Nandji      Origin: Mali
Kofta Nakhod (Meatballs with Chickpeas)      Origin: Tajikistan	Nigeria Challenge BIR Curry      Origin: Fusion

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