Meat
Damascus
B tier
Damascus (Shami) goats are long-eared, Roman-nosed dairy animals of Syria and the wider Levant, prized for milk and adapted to Mediterranean and semi-arid systems. Distinctive appearance and heat tolerance made them influential far beyond Syria through export. Kid meat is mild and valued in Levantine kitchens for mansaf variations, oven stews, and grilled dishes. Dairy culls need slow cooking. Improved Damascus lines in Cyprus and elsewhere also contribute surplus kids to local chevon supply.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Long-eared goats of the Damascus region were selected for milk in urban and village dairies.
Cypriot programmes refined Damascus-type dairy goats for island production.
Regional demand kept Shami goats central to Levantine dairy-meat systems.
International hobby and dairy imports spread Damascus genetics further.