Crottin de Chavignol
A Loire Valley goat cheese from a village of two hundred.
Crottin de Chavignol is a goat cheese produced in the Loire Valley. The cheese is the claim to fame for the village of Chavignol, France, which has only two hundred inhabitants.
Quick Facts
- Country
- France
- Source
- Goat
- Texture
- Soft-ripened, crumbly
- Aging
- At least 4 weeks
- Certification
- French AOC 1976
Facts from the source article.
History
This goat cheese, small and cylindrical, has been made near Chavignol since the 1500s. The oldest surviving mention of it comes from 1829, when a tax collector wrote down its name and a short description. Where the name comes from is uncertain. One idea links it to the word "crot," a small clay oil lamp that looks like the cheese mold. Another suggestion is that an aged Crottin becomes harder and browner, resembling animal droppings—"crotte" in French.
More in French Cheeses with Protected Designation of Origin
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