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 269 recipes in total:

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Goat Water      Origin: Antigua	Kansiyé      Origin: Guinea-Bissau	Mrefisa      Origin: Western Sahara
Goat Water      Origin: Saint Kitts	Kari Kambing (Mutton or Goat Curry)      Origin: Indonesia	Muamba de Cabara (Goat Meat Muamba)      Origin: Angola
Goat's Cheese Muffins (Goat's Cheese Muffins)      Origin: Britain	Kebab with Garlic      Origin: Western Sahara	Muqmad (Djibouti Preserved Meat)      Origin: Djibouti
Goat's Cheese, Pear and Walnut Mini Quiche      Origin: Britain	Kede in Bokenade (Kid Goat in Sauce)      Origin: England	Mutton Dopiaza      Origin: Pakistan
Goatherd's Pastry Pie      Origin: British	Khasi Ko Masu (Nepali Goat Meat Curry)      Origin: Nepal	Mutton Kulambu (Pondicherry Mutton Curry)      Origin: India
Gode Paest      Origin: England	Khela Kalia (West Bengali Lamb Curry)      Origin: India	Mutton Masala      Origin: Sri Lanka
Gongura Mamsam      Origin: India	Kid Goat Korma      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Mutton Paya      Origin: India
Gratin Christophine (Chayote Gratin)      Origin: Guadeloupe	Kissuto Rombo (Baked Kid Goat)      Origin: Sao Tome	Mutton Roganjosh      Origin: India
Gratin de pommes de terre des Antilles (Antilles Potato Gratin)      Origin: Guadeloupe	Kofta Nakhod (Meatballs with Chickpeas)      Origin: Afghanistan	Mutton Saag      Origin: India
Grenada Curry Goat      Origin: Grenada	Kofta Nakhod (Meatballs with Chickpeas)      Origin: Tajikistan	Mutton Sukha Curry      Origin: India
Gulai Kambing (Sumatran Goat Curry)      Origin: Martinique	Kokoretsi      Origin: Greece	Nakelda (Istrian Bread Rolls)      Origin: Slovenia
Haedum Laseratum (Kid Goat Seasoned with Laser)      Origin: Roman	La Salsa de Cacahuete (Peanut Sauce)      Origin: Equatorial Guinea	Nalli Nihari (Mutton Shank Nihari)      Origin: India
Haedum Laureatum ex Lacte (Suckling Kid Crowned with Laurel and Milk [Sausage])      Origin: Roman	Laal Maas (Rajasthani Red Mutton Curry)      Origin: India	Nandji      Origin: Mali
Haedum sive Agnum Parthicum (Parthian Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Lamb Stuffed with Chicken      Origin: Montenegro	Nandji Ivorienne      Origin: Cote dIvoire
Haedus sive Agnum Tarpeianum (Kid or Lamb à la Tarpeius)      Origin: Roman	Lamb Tarkari (Lamb Yoghurt Curry)      Origin: Nepal	Ngunza et Boule de Manioc (Ngunza and Cassava Balls)      Origin: Central African Republic
Haedus sive Agnus Crudus (Seasoning for Raw Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Lampara Curry      Origin: Sri Lanka	Nigeria Challenge BIR Curry      Origin: Fusion
Haedus sive Agnus Syringiatus (Boned Suckling Kid or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Maafe (Meat Peanut Stew)      Origin: Mali	Nigerian Goat Meat Pie      Origin: Nigeria
Harira Mauritanienne (Mauritanian Harira)      Origin: Mauritania	Malaysian Goat Rendang      Origin: Malaysia	Nigerian Goat Stew      Origin: Nigeria
Hyderabad Mutton Dopyaza      Origin: India	Mangsher Brown Stew (Mutton Brown Stew)      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Nigerian Meat Pie      Origin: Nigeria
Iecinera Haedina vel Agnina (Liver of Kid Goat or Lamb)      Origin: Roman	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somalia	Nigerian Spiced Goat Meat Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria
Igra Stobá (Liver Stew)      Origin: Bonaire	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somaliland	Nigerian Spiced Mixed Meat Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria
Igra Stobá (Liver Stew)      Origin: Curacao	Maraq Hilib Ari (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Somalia	Nyama yeMbudzi (Traditional Zimbabwean Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Zimbabwe
Isi Ewu (Spiced Goat Head)      Origin: Nigeria	Marolaym      Origin: Mauritania	Obe Ata Dindin (Nigerian Red Sauce)      Origin: Nigeria
Jamaican Curried Goat      Origin: Jamaica	Maroumbo ya Nadzi (Tripe with Bananas)      Origin: Mayotte	Ofellas Assas (Roast Morsels)      Origin: Roman
Jamaican Goat Patties      Origin: Jamaica	Mattar Paneer Curry      Origin: India	Ofellas Garatas (Braised Morsels)      Origin: Roman
Jerk Kebabs      Origin: Jamaica	Mbaqanga (Bean and Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: South Africa	Ofellas Garaton (Morsels with Fish-sauce)      Origin: Roman
Jerked Goat and Plantain Kebabs      Origin: Jamaica	Mboro Mboro (Sweet Potato Leaf and Palm Oil Stew)      Origin: Senegal	Oodkac (Somali Preserved Meat)      Origin: Somalia
Jerked Leg of Goat      Origin: Jamaica	Mbuzi ya masala (Goat Meat Dry Fry)      Origin: Mayotte	Pâtes au Thon (Tuna and Macaroni)      Origin: Algeria
Jerusalem Artichoke and Kale Gratin      Origin: Britain	Methi Kalia (Spicy Fenugreek Meat)      Origin: Bangladesh	Paasto Forno (Somali Pasta al Forno)      Origin: Somaliland
Kabritu Stoba (Stewed Kid Goat)      Origin: Aruba	Minchet Abish Wot      Origin: Ethiopia	Pakistani Seekh Kebab      Origin: Pakistan
Kabritu Stobá (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Saba	Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins (Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins)      Origin: Britain	Peruvian Goat Stew      Origin: Peru
Kabritu Stoba (Goat Stew)      Origin: Bonaire	Mirkapaya Mamsam Koora      Origin: India	Pintade Farcie au Patates Douces (Stuffed Guineafowl with Sweet Potatoes)      Origin: Burkina Faso
Kabritu Stobá (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Curacao	Miyan Kuka II (Baobab Leaf Soup II)      Origin: Nigeria
Kansiyé      Origin: Guinea	Montserratian Goat Water      Origin: Montserrat

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