Cabrito Das Terras Altas do Minho

Cabrito das Terras Altas do Minho is a Portuguese suckling kid goat with Protected Geographical Indication (Indicação Geográfica Protegida, IGP) registered in the European Union. The designation covers the meat of male and female cabrito (kid goats) of the Serrana, Bravia, and Preta de Montesinho breeds — and crosses of those breeds — raised in the mountainous Alto Minho region of northern Portugal, especially the Peneda-Gerês and surrounding uplands in the districts of Viana do Castelo and Braga.

Production follows strict rules: kids must be fed exclusively on maternal milk, slaughtered between 30 and 90 days of age, and the carcass must fall within defined weights and conformation classes. The mountain pasture, heather, broom, and gorse that the dams graze give the meat a delicate, slightly sweet flavor and very pale, tender flesh. The traditional preparation is assado no forno (roasted in a wood-fired oven) and served at village festivals and family christenings.

Look for Cabrito das Terras Altas do Minho at the weekly markets of Viana do Castelo and Ponte da Barca, in restaurants along the Minho coast and in Porto, and during the summer romarias and the São João festival in Braga and Porto. Pair it with baked potatoes, chestnut purée, and a glass of Alvarinho from Monção and Melgaço, or with the local red Vinho Verde.