While out at a restaurant the other day, my friend and I got into a friendly argument about how exactly we would classify goat meat.
I said that it was red meat like many other animals, but that we couldn’t call it beef.
My friend, on the other hand, insisted that goat and beef were the same thing and could be lumped into the same category.
While I was pretty certain he was wrong, he also seemed very sure of himself.
When I got home, I decided to look into it.
Goat meat really is not commonly used enough in western cuisine to have its own specific name.
As we have mutton for sheep and beef for cattle, we do have some names for goat meat, but they are not as widely known.
Goat meat just isn’t widely eaten enough, and historically was lumped in with other kinds of meat.
Let’s look further into this.
Is goat meat the same as beef?
No, it isn’t, except in a few fundamental ways.
Goat meat is a completely separate thing, and beef describes any meat taken from a cow.
This is an exclusive term, and if it doesn’t come from a cow, it is not beef.
Goat meat has a few names, which I will get into later.
For now, though, let’s just look at the similarities between goat meat and beef.
Firstly, they are both considered to be red meats.
Beef certainly is one of the most popular red meats in the world, used in burgers, steaks, sausages, and all kinds of meat you can imagine.
In the western world, goat is consumed far less than beef.
However, in the rest of the world, it is a very common delicacy.
Around 70% of the world’s total population regularly consumes goat meat in some form or another.
In many other languages, goat meat does indeed have specific names—but none that we would really be familiar with.
In no language, though, is goat meat considered to be the same as beef.
Is goat red meat?
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Yes, goat meat is red meat.
It is a dark and pink-looking meat, and in terms of color does look a lot like beef both before and after it is cooked.
Goats and cows are very similar animals in many ways, but that is not to say that their meat tastes the same.
However, goat meat is naturally much closer to beef than it is to, say, chicken.
Chicken has a very distinctive taste, and is considered white meat.
Goat meat is very different from this.
Overall, though, goat meat probably has more in common with beef than differences.
Let’s look at which is better though.
Which is better goat meat or beef?
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It, of course, depends on how you look at it.
Goat meat is and always has been a very popular delicacy, but beef has certainly massively taken over here in the west.
From our fast-food burger restaurants to our fanciest fine dining establishments, it’s everywhere.
But goat meat is actually nutritionally superior in a number of important ways.
For one thing, it contains more protein pound-for-pound.
It also has higher levels of iron, while at the same time having lower amounts of calories and saturated fats.
So, nutritionally, goat meat is probably best.
That said, there’s a simple reason that beef has become more popular here in the west: it tastes better to most of us!
Whatever the reasons for this, it’s hard to deny.
So, while there are some advantages to goat meat, it really depends on your personal taste.
Red meat should always be eaten in moderation, so as part of a balanced diet, either can be healthy.
What is goat meat called?
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So, as I mentioned, in some settings, goat meat does indeed have its own specific names.
However, these settings are usually fine dining environments.
With that in mind, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that a lot of the names are French words.
The most common is chevon.
This refers to meat from a mature, adult goat, and virtually any cut from the animal.
Whether it’s from the body, or it’s a leg, or even the head as is used in many cuisines like Jamaican, adult goat meat is chevon.
Meat from a young goat is usually called capretto.
Like veal, meat from younger goats is often used to get a softer, leaner and suppler taste from the meat.
It can also be called cabrito, which may indicate the specific maturity of the goat.
So, the French and Italians have words for goat meat, but we don’t have many that are commonly used.
Goat meat is a really fantastic and tasty red meat, then, but it is not the same as beef.
In many ways, if you like the taste, it is even better.
Goat meat has a higher quantity of many essential vitamins and minerals, and is overall more nutritionally dense.
Beef is still good for you, but it is more empty calories than goat meat is.
That said, many can’t quite get on board with the taste of goat. So, it’s really up to your personal taste, but they are not the same thing.