The goat was among the first animals to be domesticated, around 10,000 years ago, in Western Iran and the Euphrates River valley, reflecting its importance as a reliable source of meat and milk. It is primarily eaten in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and it is particularly popular in India, Nigeria, and Mexico, where it is often served on special occasions and for religious festivals. The Old Testament designated it as a clean animal that could be eaten, with its cloven hooves and chewing of its cud. In Nepal, goats are sacrificed during Dashain, the largest annual celebration. In some parts of Africa, a ceremonial goat is roasted whole for weddings and traditional events.
Goats are said to be intelligent animals that can learn their names and respond when called, to have excellent problem-solving skills, and to open gates and recognize human facial expressions. They communicate using distinct bleats and have unique individual voices. Some goats can scale trees and steep cliffs with ease.
On the whole goats are healthy animals, yet they may develop diseases not necessarily common to man: forms of mycobacterial infections resembling tuberculosis; lymph node, viral, fungal, parasitic, and bacterial diseases; and tetanus, worms, and diseases specifically affecting the udder and hooves.
Goats are appreciated for their ability to thrive in arid climates where cattle or pigs would fail; they require less feed and water and produce less methane than cattle. Yet their effect on the environment is not negligible. Overgrazing, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, can lead to soil erosion, desertification, and habitat degradation. Methane emissions from ruminant digestion contribute to greenhouse gas levels, and overgrazing by large goat herds exacerbates soil erosion, land degradation, and deforestation. And as with beef and pork, there have been ethical concerns about overcrowded farming causing discomfort to animals.
These arguments can become particularly intense in immigrant communities, where traditional dishes become battlegrounds for cultural preservation and arguments over assimilation pressures. For diasporic families, preparing goat stew or birria is not just a culinary act. Yet certain religious practices have been criticized, in particular when animals must be slaughtered according to scriptural methods that prohibit preliminary stunning.
Thus in Islam, the ritual sacrifice of goats during Eid al-Adha is a significant act, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Similar practices exist in Hinduism, where goat sacrifices are offered in some regional traditions, as well as in some Afro-Caribbean religions. The goat plays a central role in West African spiritual rituals and certain Hindu feasts. These rituals are viewed as sacred acts of devotion by the community.
Goat is currently being reintroduced in upscale Western cuisine. High-end chefs tout goat as an alternative to beef and lamb, illustrating the complex interplay of culture, ethics, ecology, and religion in food practices. Thus, for some, goat meat represents tradition; for others it embodies ethical or environmental concerns; and others see it as unavoidable cultural change.