What Makes Cabrito A Truly Unique Type Of Meat
Almost every region in the United States has a staple meat dish that they enjoy preparing and consuming. While you may know about famous southern-fried chicken or certain states' styles of barbeque, there are many lesser-known types of meat that are traditional for different regions across the country.
For example, in the Mid-Atlantic, scrapple is a favorite meat product that accompanies many breakfast plates in the region's diners. According to The Daily Meal, scrapple is traditional in Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Scrapple is made from a combination of pork scraps and trimmings, cornmeal, and seasonings, which are blended together, formed into a loaf, and left to congeal. Before serving, it is sliced and pan-fried before serving. Similar to scrapple, goetta is an Ohio delicacy that was first invented by German immigrants. Goetta is another pork product, but the ground meat is combined with whole-grain steel-cut oats, and spices like rosemary, bay leaves, and thyme.
Moving away from the Midwest, in Texas, cabrito is a Latin American meat dish that has taken off in the southwestern part of the state.
Southern Texas's cabrito
According to Delighted Cooking, cabrito is a dish made from a young goat, although the word is occasionally used more broadly to denote any meal featuring a young goat, including stewed and grilled dishes. Traditionally roasted and originally from Latin America, the dish has recently become popular in Texas, and several other American Southwest states, due to the heavy Latin American influence in the area.
While the dish has become more well-known, places that serve cabrito are still limited. Texas Monthly says there are usually a few restaurants in each of Texas's larger cities that serve up the dish. However, restaurants often feature the meat in different ways. The outlet says it can come in anything from fajitas as it's done at Javier's in Dallas or simply roasted on metal spits as it's prepared at Houston's El Hidalguense.
The meat has often been dismissed as gamey, although once newcomers know what to expect it can be quite a delightful indulgence. Just a quick Google Maps search yields dozens of Texan joints to choose from. So, next time you're going out for brisket or a burger, try to switch up your routine and see if cabrito hits the spot.