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Eating Goat Meat
It is difficult to pass a traditional restaurant or tapas bar in Fuerteventura, without seeing the words cabrito, baifo or cabra on the menu. Roughly 65% of the world’s population have already discovered this delicious meat and eat it on a regular basis, yet the UK and Irish markets are slower in adopting goat meat as a choice, and usually steer towards beef, lamb or pork instead. Goat meat is a staple in many African, Indian and middle eastern cuisines, and the recipes and dishes that can be made with it are endless. If you are looking for a leaner, healthier and less calorific meal choice, then maybe goat meat could be the answer as it is a far healthier alternative to beef and chicken, and here in Fuerteventura it is fresh, farmed on the island and in most cases reared organically.
The Meaty Facts – If you assume a typical portion of meat to be 85g, then you may be surprised at how much of a healthier choice it is. A portion of goat meat contains approximately 122 calories making it a lower calorific choice than both beef and chicken, where the equivalent weights contain 179 in beef and 162 in chicken, and it is also lower in fat too. Based on a 2000 calorie a day diet, a serving of goat meat represents just 4 percent of your daily value of total fat. In a portion of goat meat’s 2.6 g of it are total fat, this represents about a third of the amount found in beef (7.9g) and roughly half of the amount of fat found in chicken (6.3g), making it an excellent choice if you are watching your waistline.
Cooking Cabrito – The fact that goat meat is so low in fat makes cooking with it a bit of a challenge. It needs to be cooked at low temperatures in order to keep it nice and juicy, and must be cooked slowly to stop it from becoming tough. The meat lends itself perfectly to the cooler winter months, as some of the best ways of preparing it is in stews or curries where the juices in which it is cooked, help to keep the meat succulent and tender and are great comfort foods for this time of year. Here in Fuerteventura there are many dishes that are on offer, including slowly roasted and marinated versions, that use age old recipes that have been handed down through the generations, and are well worth a try. But if you are unsure and don’t want to splash out on a large dish of slow roasted cabrito then pop into any tapas bar and try the stew, as it is a great way to sample this delicious choice without breaking the bank. You never know, you may be surprised at just how good something so low fat can taste.
