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Cabris Guadeloupe
The young of the goat is called either cabri or biquette; in tropical regions the animal can live about ten years, and it is a ruminant mammal of the family Bovidae and the subfamily Caprinae. The goat is primarily raised for the milk it can produce, about 3 liters per day, which is mainly used to make cheese.
The weight of an adult goat ranges between 15 and 80 kilos for females and can exceed one hundred kilos for males. The animal feeds on grass, hay or pellets. The cabri is mainly raised to be eaten, unlike the goat, which is useful only for its milk; indeed, cabri meat has the particularity of being less strong than that of the adult, which explains why only the cabri is raised to produce meat.
In Guadeloupe tradition follows the same rule, and the cabri is used to prepare many dishes, notably stews. On the island the animal is also used for entertainment; indeed, it is possible to attend cabri-tirant competitions. As with oxen, the aim is to pull a cart loaded with rocks up a hillside or slope. Two cabris are used per cart to be pulled, and the course time is of course timed.
Very spectacular, the competition in Guadeloupe is also an opportunity to take part in meals whose main dish consists of stews or Colombo de cabri. Cabri can also be eaten grilled or as skewers, and meat can be found for sale in butcher shops around the Easter holidays.
The Creole cabri weighs on average 28 kilos for females and 38 kilos for males. It is one of the best goats of the tropical zone thanks to its ease of reproduction and the short gestation period of the females.
