Cabrito, a dish made from kid goat, is popular in Latin America and the American Southwest. Traditionally roasted, it can also be stewed or grilled. Monterrey, Mexico is known for its cabrito, which can be eaten straight or used in other dishes. Goats are hardy animals, making them a good choice for regions where raising cows is not feasible.
Cabrito is a kid-based dish. Traditionally, it is roasted, although the term is sometimes more generally used to refer to any dish featuring kid goat, ranging from stewed to grilled preparations. This dish is widely eaten in Latin America, and is also common in Texas and many other parts of the American Southwest, thanks to the strong influence of Latin American cuisine on the food of this region.
Generally, the baby who produced cabrito is between one and three months of age, when it is particularly young and tender. Even when young, however, goats have dark, gamy meat, which fits best with a very slow cooking preparation that makes the meat delicate and enhances its flavor. Traditional roasted cabrito fits this requirement quite well, which may explain why it has become such a popular dish in Latin America.
Monterrey, Mexico is generally considered the world headquarters of cabrito, and many restaurants prepare their own “Monterrey style.” There are actually many traditional ways to prepare the dish; one of the most common is roasting an entire baby on a spit over a slow-burning charcoal fire, turning it frequently and basting well to enhance the flavor. Cabrito can also be prepared in a pit roast, which is popular for large parties, as the baby can be buried and then ignored for several hours before being dug up to eat.
People can eat the cabrito straight, fold it into tortillas, dip it in salsa, or shred it with rice and beans. In Texas, it’s common to see cabrito burgers and other more American adaptations of this dish, fusing the goat’s intense flavor with foods popular in the United States. In the United States, using chunks of goat rather than a whole animal is common, as chunks take much less time to cook, although in regions with a large Latino community, roasted whole goat is a favorite dish of many celebrations.
One reason the cabrito is so popular is that goats are extremely hardy animals, able to navigate difficult terrain and thrive in hostile environments. This is in stark contrast to cows, which require much more meat and care. In the rocky, semi-barrenous regions of Latin America and the American Southwest, raising cows isn’t really feasible, so people are forced to herd and herd goats and find ways to use the animals.
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