Description
The Cabrito da Beira PGI kid meat comes from goats descended from the Serrana and Charnequeira breeds and the resulting cross breeds.
Production Area
Cabrito da Beira PGI is produced in the districts of Guarda, Viseu and Castelo Branco.
Production Method
Being cross bred these goats vary considerably in appearance. They are mostly large animals and vary greatly in colour. Their habitat is in the mountains of the Serra da Estrela, where they are pasture fed and reared in the traditional way. The adult goats eat the wild grasses and shrubs found in the Beira Interior region.
Appearance and Flavour
Cabrito da Beira PGI is pale pink in colour, due principally to the feed which is almost exclusively mother's milk. The meat is extremely succulent and tender.
History
The origins of Cabrito da Beira PGI are linked to the Serrana and Charnequeira breed of goat, which, in their turn have obscure origins; they are possibly descended from the wild goats of the Neozoic (or Quaternary) period: Capra prisca, Capra aegagrus and Capra falconeri. Eventually, due to waves of migration, these animals became established on the Iberian Peninsula and produced the Capra Pyrenaica goat, followed by the Serrana, the Charnequeira and others. These two breeds are to be found all over the north of Portugal but particularly in Beira Interior, where they have the least competition from other breeds.
Gastronomy
Cabrito da Beira PGI must be stored at a temperature of 7°C, or between -18°C and -20°C if it is frozen. Once bought the meat can only be kept a few days in the fridge. In the Beiras area there are many recipes based on Cabrito da Beira PGI, among the best known are cabrito assado o frito, cabrito estonado or the famous chanfana which, however, is sometimes made with older goat meat.
Marketing
This meat is sold as Cabrito da Beira PGI. It is sold in whole carcasses weighing up to 6 kg.
Distinctive Features
Cabrito da Beira PGI kid meat is eaten particularly at Easter time proving how deeply rooted this meat is in the religious and popular traditions of the Serra da Estrema area where it is very easy to meet, in the fields and the roads, goatherds leading their flocks of usually between 50 and 150 animals to pasture.
