The Garganica is a

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

domestic goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bo ...

which originated on the Gargano promontory in the

Puglia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

region of southern Italy. From there it has spread to other parts of Puglia and to neighbouring regions.

History

The Garganica is indigenous to the Gargano, and derives from cross-breeding of local animals with goats imported from western Europe, probably at the same time as the importation of

Merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...

sheep that led to the formation of the

Gentile di Puglia The Gentile di Puglia is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to southern Italy. It originates from the Tavoliere di Foggia, a large plain in the northern part of Puglia, and is raised mainly in that Regions of Italy, region; a few are found in ...

sheep breed. The Garganica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the

Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia The Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, or roughly "national association of Sheep farming, pastoralists", is the Italian national body responsible for the administration of sheep- and goat-breeding. It maintains the herd books for more th ...

, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. The breed standard was approved in 1976. Numbers have fallen sharply in recent years; In 1870 there were head; by 2002 this had fallen to . The conservation status of the breed was listed as "endangered" by the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

in 2007. In 2008 the total population was estimated at , of which 511 were registered in the herdbook. At the end of 2013 the registered population was 773.

Characteristics

The animals are of medium height and not heavy: adult males typically weigh , and females . The heads are rather small and adults have long, coarse black or dark chestnut hair. The skins of the kids are prized for their curly, raven-black hair. The breed is noted for its toughness and is well suited to being raised in a wild state in very difficult habitats.

Use

The

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

yield of the Garganica is reported as litres in 180 days for primiparous nannies, and litres in 210 days for pluriparous ones, in one source; another gives a yield of litres. The milk is used to make the traditional regional cheeses of the Gargano, including canestrato and cacioricotta del Gargano. The meat is used to make muscisca, a traditional food of

transhumant Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower ...

pastoralists. Strips of goat's meat are salted, flavoured with garlic, and air- or sun-dried.

References

{{Goat breeds of Italy Goat breeds Dairy goat breeds Goatskin-producing goat breeds Apulia Goat breeds originating in Italy