In the hills of the Serra do Caldeirão behind Alcoutim, the kid goat is king. Cabrito assado is the great celebration dish: a young goat rubbed with garlic, paprika, bay and white wine, then slow-roasted in a wood-fired oven until the meat falls from the bone and the skin crisps.
Served with roast potatoes and a sharp salad, it is rich, rustic and built for a long table — the food of festas, family Sundays and the village restaurants that still cook it the old way. Far from the coast's seafood, this is the true taste of inland eastern Algarve, where flocks graze the dry hills.
⭐ Must-try:
Cabrito assado
Highlights
- Young goat slow-roasted in a wood oven
- Garlic, paprika, bay and white wine
- Falls from the bone, crisp-skinned
- The festa and Sunday dish of the serra
- With roast potatoes and sharp salad
Frequently asked questions
Is it kid or lamb?
Cabrito is young goat — the signature roast of the Serra do Caldeirão; borrego (lamb) appears too.
When is it eaten?
Traditionally at festas and family Sundays; village restaurants cook it year-round.