The History of Cabrito

With the conquest of Mexico comes an interesting exchange of a great variety of traditions, among them, religion, politics, clothing, culture, fruits, vegetables, animals and many other things. This exchange brought a fusion between Spain's cuisine and Aztec cooking, which created today’s Mexican cuisine.

So what does cabrito have to do with all of this? At first, cabrito was eaten as Spaniards did - fried or baked. Since approximately the 14th century, the person who watched the goats, or sheep in the fields, was called the "pastor". One day, one of these shepherds was far from home without food when one baby goat fell from a cliff. With no utensils or condiments, only his knife, he decided to clean the baby goat to prepare it for his meal. Next, he sharpened a stick, put it through the baby goat so that he could grill it over a fire. The goat was delicious and the recipe continues today with the name "cabrito al pastor".