This article appeared in the Oregonian Food Day section in October.
Goat for dinner? Well, why not?
No, it doesn't taste gamy; it's higher in protein, lower in fat and just as versatile as chicken
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
NIKKI JARDIN The Oregonian
The platter of meat sat on Becki and Jonathan Crighton's counter, golden brown and fragrant with garlic and
rosemary, looking like a perfectly roasted leg of . . . goat?
Yes, indeed. The meat was fresh from the Crighton's herd of South African Boer goats, and the dinner conversation
went from how delicious the roast was to how novel an option goat still is at the American table.
"People think Billy Goat Gruff, not dinner," Jonathan Crighton says.
Goat meat, or chevon, as it's sometimes called, is part of the diet of a large part of the world's population.
Standard fare for Middle Eastern, African, Caribbean and Latino cultures, goat meat has been part of the global culinary experience
dating to the beginning of the domestication of livestock.
But it has been a long time since it was even a small part of the American culinary repertoire. Goats were raised
by early settlers in 17th-century America for both food and milk, but with a seemingly endless supply of rangeland, cattle
took over because they yield a lot more meat.
Sticking with goats might have been the more healthful choice, however. Nutritionally, goat meat is superior
to more common meats, especially in terms of its fat content. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a 3-ounce serving
of goat has 122 calories and 2.6 grams of fat, of which less than 1 gram is from saturated fat. Beef, by contrast, is 179
calories, 7.9 grams of fat, with 3 grams from saturated fat. Even chicken is higher in those components, with 162 calories,
6.3 grams of fat and 1.7 grams of saturated fat. The protein content for all three of these meats is about 25 grams in 3 ounces
(about 85 grams). Better yet, because goat is a red meat, you also get the iron and B-12 benefits.
As with lamb (i.e. young sheep), young goats, called kids, are preferred by most culinary traditions, generally
raised to 4 or 5 months old. According to Jonathan Crighton, "the lighter the color, the better the quality of the goat. An
older goat or a goat that hasn't been raised properly is going to produce meat that's not so good."
Goat meat is as versatile as other meats, though it's extremely lean and so does best with moist-heat methods
of cooking such as braising and pot-roasting. A Mexican street-food favorite is birria, made by marinating leg of goat with
a chile paste and spices, then pot-roasting or stewing until tender; it's served in tortillas topped with onions and cilantro.
Jamaicans make curried goat in dozens of variations, but all with some blend of hot chile such as a Scotch bonnet and a mix
of warm spices -- allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coriander and black pepper. Greeks and Italians will spit-roast a
whole kid in the same way they spit-roast lamb, and many American goat ranchers sell chops, legs and ground meat to use in
any recipe in which you'd use lamb or even beef.
Mustafa Elogbi, butcher and owner of Halal Meat and Mediterranean Foods in Tigard, describes his favorite way
of preparing goat. "Oh, I like to cut it into small pieces, with just a little fat on it; make a stew with garlic, cinnamon
stick, cloves, chile and tomatoes on very low heat for two hours and serve it over rice. Oh," he said, closing his eyes and
smiling, "that is very, very good."
Elogbi sees great demand for goat meat. "Just this week, I've sold 500 pounds. This is typical." He specializes
in providing his customers, typically Middle Eastern and African immigrants, with meat that is halal, meaning slaughtered
according to Muslim custom, a practice he has done "with my own hand" for the past 20 years. "I buy young, healthy animals
from ranchers and farmers I know and trust at auction every week in Salem."
The numbers of those ranchers and farmers are growing. Gene Pirelli, an Oregon State University professor and
the district extension specialist for livestock and forage in Washington County, identifies the growing trend among ranchers.
"People are beginning to diversify, running goats instead of sheep. People always had goats on their property, but in the
past five years we've seen a pretty big increase in the Boers. It's something that's not going away."
Even though most Americans don't relish the idea of eating goat?
"When you think about it," goat-rancher Crighton says, "the French eat frog legs and rabbit; people of European
descent, if they consider their history, can usually come around to the idea."
One taste of the Crighton's roast leg of goat is enough to make that turnaround easily. The meat is moist, tender
and surprisingly mild. People often assume goat will taste gamy, but that isn't the case. And while retail sources for goat
meat may be limited to a few local ethnic markets, or by venturing to farms such as the Crighton's, Portlanders with a taste
for the healthful and hearty have a new option well worth the search.
Nikki Jardin is a Portland freelance writer.
©2007 The Oregonian
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