Cabrito Das Terras Altas do Minho

Name: Roast Kid Goat, Minho Style
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Portugal
Ingredients: 2000 g (4½ lb) kid goat (leg or shoulder, bone-in); 15 g (1 tbsp) coarse sea salt; 5 g (1 tsp) black pepper, freshly ground; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 2 leaves bay leaves, fresh or dried; 100 ml (½ cup) olive oil; 150 ml (⅔ cup) white wine (Vinho Verde or dry white)

Also known as Cabrito das Terras Altas do Minho, IG Minho Kid, Cabrito do Minho, Cabrito de Aleitamento

📍 Minho (Peneda-Gerês, Alto Minho, Viana do Castelo, Braga) ★ 4.2

Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

IGP suckling kid goat from the mountains of Alto Minho in northern Portugal, roasted whole in wood ovens for village festivals.

About 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.

🏛️ History & Culture

The Terras Altas do Minho, a rugged highland region in northern Portugal, has a long tradition of goat husbandry, with the hardy autochthonous Serrana breed well adapted to the granite slopes and scrubland. The dish itself—a young, milk-fed kid—is rooted in rural peasant foodways, though its exact origins are not precisely documented; the European Union's Protected Geographical Indication, granted in the 21st century, formalized this longstanding practice rather than inventing a new one.

Preparation varies from village to village, but the classic method is slow roasting with garlic, olive oil, and white wine, yielding tender, succulent meat. Culturally, cabrito is a festive centerpiece, traditionally served at Easter, Christmas, and other family celebrations, and its PGI recognition underscores its importance to the regional identity and economy of the Minho highlands.

🍳 How to make Cabrito Das Terras Altas do Minho

AI-assisted, not kitchen-tested

Roast Kid Goat, Minho Style

A traditional Portuguese roast of suckling kid goat from the Minho highlands, marinated in garlic, bay, and Vinho Verde, then slowly roasted until tender.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 120 min
Total: 140 min
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Medium

Recipe ingredients

2000 g (4½ lb) kid goat (leg or shoulder, bone-in), If unavailable, use spring lamb as a substitute.
15 g (1 tbsp) coarse sea salt
5 g (1 tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 leaves bay leaves, fresh or dried
100 ml (½ cup) olive oil
150 ml (⅔ cup) white wine (Vinho Verde or dry white)

Steps

1 In a large non-reactive bowl, combine the olive oil, white wine, minced garlic, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Add the kid goat pieces, turning to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight, turning once.
2 Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Remove the goat from the marinade, letting any excess drip off, and reserve the marinade.
3 Place the goat pieces in a single layer in a roasting pan. Pour the reserved marinade over the meat, and add about 100 ml (½ cup) of water to the pan to prevent sticking.
4 Roast uncovered for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices. If the surface browns too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
5 Check for doneness: the internal temperature of the meat should reach 75°C (165°F) at the thickest part. The meat should be very tender and easily pull from the bone.
6 Remove from the oven and let rest under a loose foil tent for 15 minutes. Serve hot, spooning the pan juices over the meat.

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🧺 Key ingredients

Cabrito (kid goat, Serrana / Bravia / Preta de Montesinho breeds)
Maternal milk (sole feed until slaughter)
Sea salt or coarse salt
Garlic
Bay leaf
Olive oil
White wine (Vinho Verde)
Black pepper

🍴 Where to eat it

Alto Minho's signature cabrito is found in mountain villages of the Peneda-Gerês range: restaurants in Ponte da Barca, Arcos de Valdevez, Melgaço, Terras de Bouro, and Montalegre serve the IGP kid roasted in wood ovens, especially in autumn and winter. In coastal Minho, seafood-and-meat restaurants in Caminha, Vila Praia de Âncora, and Esposende add cabrito to their menus on weekends. Porto's traditional restaurants in the Ribeira and Cedofeita neighborhoods feature it during São João (June) and at Christmas. In Lisbon, try Restaurante Solar dos Abacaxis and other northern-Portuguese tascas; in Madrid or Barcelona, Galician and Minho-style restaurants import the IGP cabrito seasonally. Always pair with Alvarinho (white) or Vinho Verde (red) from the same valley.

Find Cabrito Das Terras Altas do Minho restaurants on Google Maps

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